
Gass "l; A '^D 
Book - T^ 



( 

A SELECTION 



OF ^ 



^ntiiKUdmn 



AND 



HISTORICAL NOTES^ 



BY K. 0. JENOWAY 



EDINBURGH 



PRINTED FOR W. STEWART, Gl, SOUTH BRIDGE; 

OGLE, DUNCAN, AND CO. LONDON; \ 

J. R. GRIFFIN & CO. GLASGOW. 



1823. 



.3^ 



.0 
^ TO 



r^ 



^t^ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 



M. D. F. R. S. E. ET F. A. S. etc. 

ONE OF THE PHYSICIANS 

TO THE 
EDINBURGH GENERAL LYING-IN HOSPITAL, 
AND 

SURGEON TO HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES, 

IN ADMIRATION OF 

HIS TALENTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS, 

AS THE 

PHYSICIAN, THE SCHOLAR, & THE GENTLEMAN, 

THIS LITTLE WORK 

IS DEDICATED, 

BY HIS SCHOOLFELLOW AND FRIEND, 

THE AUTHOR. 



NOTICE TO THE READER. 



1 HE following compendious selection of Antiquarian and 
Historical Notes, is offered to the Public — not with the 
presumptuous expectation that it will supply the place of 
other works of greater learning and research — but, simply 
with the hope that it may answer the purpose of a reference 
book to the scientific reader. At the same time, while it thus 
refreshes the memoiy of those who are more deeply conver- 
sant with each particular subject, it may, perhaps, in some 
degree — by saving a toilsome application to more laboured 
and diffuse sources — serve to excite the curiosity, and direct 
the attention of those who possess more general information, 
to many a circumstance of interest and amusement, which, 
otherwise, might, probably, have escaped their notice. 

It is almost superfluous to say that so vast and comprehen<- 
sive a subject, might easily have been extended to an almost 
indefinite length. But, it has been the object of the writer 
to select — as far as his prescribed limits would admit of— 
only what was at once curious, entertaining, and useful, and 
interspersing occasional remarks, where elucidation was con- 
sidered requisite, to throw each article into as condensed a 
form, as justice to so extensive and important a matter 
would permit. 



ANTIQUARIAN AND HISTORICAL 
NOTES. 



(JTSSitlCSf* The common structure of a Gothic castle 
was, as follows : The whole site of the castle was sur- 
rounded by a deep and broad ditch, sometimes filled 
with water, and sometimes left dry, called the fosse. 
Before the great gate, was an out-work, called a bar- 
bican, or antimural, which was a strong and high wall, 
with turrets upon it, designed for the defence of the 
gate and draw-bridge. On the inside of the ditch, stood 
the wall of the castle, about eight or ten feet thick, and 
between twenty and thirty feet high, with a parapet, and 
a kind of embrazures, c^ed crennels, on the top. On 
this wall, at proper distances, square towers, of two or 
three stories high, were built. On the top of this waU, 

B 



k 



21 

and on the flat roof of the buildings, (designed for the 
various offices of the castle,) stood the defenders of the 
castle, when it was besieged ; and discharged arrows, 
darts, and stones. The great gate of the castle stood 
in the course of this wall, and was strongly fortified with 
a tower on each side, and rooms over the passage, which 
was closed with thick folding doors of oak, and with an 
iron portcullis, or grate, let down from above. Within 
this outward wall, was a large open space, or court, call- 
ed, in the largest and most perfect castles, the outer 
bayle, or ballium, in which commonly stood a church. 
On the inside of this outer bayle, was another ditch, wall, 
gate, and towers, enclosing the inner bayle or court, with* 
in which, the chief tower, or keep, was built. This was 
a very large square building, four or five stories high, 
having small windows in prodigiously thick walls, which 
rendered the apartments within it, dark and gloomy. 
This great tower was the palace. Under ground, were 
dismal dark vaults, for the confinement of prisoners. In 
this building, also, was the great hall, in which the 
owner entertained his friends and followers. 

About the middle of King Stephen's reign, castles 
were erected in ahnost all parts of the kingdom, by the 



several contending parties ; and every owner of a castle 
was a kind of petty prince, who coined his own money, 
and exercised sovereign jurisdiction over his people. 



(!r£((JUir0, the armour-bearer, or attendant upon 
a Knight. The indiscriminate use of this title, now be- 
come so general, is totally without foundation upon any 
known law, or source of honourable distinction. Cam- 
den tells us that this title properly appertains to only 
four classes of gentlemen. First, the eldest sons of 
Knights, and their eldest sons, in perpetual succession. 
Second, the eldest sons of the younger sons of Peers, and 
their eldest sons, in like perpetual succession; both 
which species of Esquires, Sir Henry Spelman entitles, 
Armegeri Natalitii. Third, Esquires created by the 
King by letters-patent, who wear a coUar of S. S, of 
silver. These were formerly called white squires, and 
their eldest sons bore the same title. Fourth, Esquires, 
by virtue of their office ; such, for instance, are justices of 
the peace, and others, whb may bear any office of trust 
under the crown. To these may be added the Esquires 
of each Knight of the Bath, three of whom are constituted 



at his installation. Esquires and gentlemen are con- 
founded together by Sir Edward Coke, who observes 
that every Esquire is a gentleman, and a gentleman is 
defined to be one aui arma gerit, the grant of which, 
adds gentility to a man's family. Blackstone says, it is 
a matter somewhat unsettled, what constitutes the dis- 
tinction, or who is a real Esquire ; for, it is not an 
estate, however large, that confers this rank upon its 
owner. Persons enjoying places under the crown, in the 
appointment to whichj they are styled Esquire ; or offices 
of municipal administration, as Mayors of Towns, Com- 
missioners of the Customs and Excise, Comptrollers, 
Counsellors at Law, and other officers of note, are entitled 
to this addition, and none others. 



^Et^Si were in very general use amongst the Greeks 
and Romans. The. most extravagant expenses were in- 
curred in building and ornamenting them; for, there were 
several apartments to each, adapted to summer and win- 
ter, with porches, walks, groves, and halls. After bathing, 
it was customary to be rubbed and anointed with the 
most costly perfumes. Lucian gives the following de- 



scription of a bath, which was built by Hippas, a cele- 
brated architect. At the entrance of the building, was 
a spacious porch, into which the bathers ascended insen- 
sibly by broad stairs. Through this, they passed into a 
large hall, which would hold all the servants very conve- 
niently. On the left hand, were chambers for pleasure ; 
then, there were apartments for persons of note, having 
on their sides, wardrobes to undress in. In the middle, 
was a very lofty and spacious room, where three baths 
of cold water were placed ; and this apartment was adorn- 
ed with statues of marble. From this room, they went 
into another of an oval form, where the bathers felt a 
grateful heat. To the right, they passed into another, to 
anoint themselves, which had private closets on both sides, 
to receive those that came from the exercises. Farther on, 
was another apartment, more beautiful and convenient 
than all the rest, to lie down, or sit in. Then, there was 
a hot antichamber, lined with Numidian stone, which 
led into the last apartment, that shone on all sides. Here 
were three baths of hot water, whence they might pass 
into the cold baths, through a stove, mthout returning 
through the places by which they entered. 



SlrtOn 3$UrneI, in Shropshire. Here a parUa- 
ment was held in the reign of Edward the First; at which, 
the ' Statute Merchant' was made, for the assurance 
of debts. The Lords sat in the castle, and the Com- 
mons in a barn ! A great part of the castle,— once a very 
magnificent structure, — still remains, with fine battle- 
ments, and rows of windows, curiously carved. 



^UUlttrKt ^^^ punished, during the Saxon hep- 
tarchy, by publicly whipping the woman. In 1301, under 
Canute, the first King of the Danish race, the punishment 
was changed to cutting ofi" the nose and ears. On the 14th 
of May, 1650, an act passed the Commonwealth — par- 
liament making this crime and incest capital for the first 
offence. At the same time, a bill was brought into the 
house against painting, patches, and other immodest 
dress of women ; but, it did not pass. By the Roman 
laws, if the husband were so far transported by his just 
resentment, as to revenge the disgrace, by killing the 
man who had debauched his wife, or even his wife her- 



self, the fault was pardoned, and neither he, nor Ms slaves 
was punished as murderers. 



Bantr of 0mtlt\nm'^tn^iona:^, were 

first instituted by Henry VIII. who ordained 50 gentlemen 
to be spears, each having an archer, demilance, castrell, 
and three great horses, to attend him, at ^^50 per annum 
each, apparelled and trapped in gold cloth, &c. Having 
been discontinued, they were revived in December 1539. 
In the sixth year of the reign of Edward VI. on the l6th 
of May, 1552, the household, in bands of horsemen, 
mustered before him in Greenwich park, each under his 
banner, as follows : Fifty in ordinary ; 100 gentlemen 
at arms ; each pensioner, two horses and a gelding, well 
armed; some with feathers, staves, pencils of their colours, 
sleeves, half-coats, and bands ; all fair, and great horses, 
with a leader to most of them ; many of the common 
riders clothed in velvets ; and the whole ranked as follows, 

BANNERS. 
1st, Lieutenant - - - The King's - - - . 250 Men at Arms. 
3d, Mr Household - - "White Lion & ragged stafF 150 Do. 

2d, Household Treasurer Falcon 100 Do. 

5th, Unicorn in the Star - 100 Da 



100 Men at Arms. 


100 


Do. 


50 


Do. 


50 


Do. 


50 


Do. 


150 


Do. 


50 


Do. 


50 


Do. 


50 


Do. 


100 


Do. 



8 

BANNERS. 
5th, Lord Privyseal - - Goat - - , - . 

6th, Household Chamberlain Maidenhead - - - 

7th, Mr Horse - - - - White Lion - - 

8th, Black Bull's Head 

9th, Peacock - - - . 

10th, Captain General - Green Dragon - . 

11th, Yeoman Guard - - Maiden's Body - . 

loth, Lord Admiral - - Anchor - - - . 

12th, Lieutenant General - Saracen's Head - 

14th, Warden of the 5 ports Rose and Sunbeams 

The band of gentlemen-pensioners at present consists 
of 140, who have ag^.lOO a year each, for attending the 
king on solemn occasions. The post is obtained by 
purchase. 

3[l0Sii)tirj>|, Buckinghamshire, was a town in the 
time of the Saxons. William the Conqueror gave several 
yard-lands here, on condition that the owner should find 
litter, or straw, for his bed, whenever he came that way. 
William of Alesbury held by this charter, with this ad- 
dition, that he should hkewise straw the King's chamber, 
and provide him three eels, if he came in the winter ; 
but, if in summer, besides straw for the bed, he was to 
provide two green geese. This he was to repeat three 
times a year, if the King came so often that way. 



9 



SlltariS, were instituted about the year 117. The 
first christian one erected in Britain, was in A. D. 634. 
The custom of consecrating them, was not introduced 
before the year 1334. 



^|)i)0g« At the dissolution of the abbeys in Eng- 
land, under King Henry VIII. 190 were dissolved, 
of from £.200 to £.35,000 a year ; amounting to an 
aggregate sum of 2,853,000 pounds per annum. The 
principal buildings of an abbey, were, first, the church, 
differing little from one of the cathedrals of the present day. 
Attached to one side of the nave, commonly the southern, 
was, secondly, the great cloister, which had two entrances 
to the church, at the eastern and western ends of the 
aisle of the nave, for the greater solemnity of processions. 
Over the western side of the cloister, was, thirdly, the 
dormitory of the monks ; a long room, divided into se- 
parate cells, each containing a bed, with a mat, blanket, 
and rug, together with a desk and stool, and occupied by 
a monk. This apartment had a door, which opened im- 
mediately into the church, on account of midnight offices. 



10 

Attached to the side of the cloister, opposite to the 
church, was, fourthly, the refectory, where the monks 
dined ; near to which, was the locutorium, or parlour, 
an apartment answering to the common room of a college, 
where, in the intervals of prayer and study, the monks 
sat and conversed. Beyond, was the kitchen and its 
offices ; and, adjoining to it, the buttery, &c. On the 
eastern side of the cloisters, was, in the centre, the chapter- 
house, where the business of the abbey was transacted ; 
and near it, the library, and scriptorium, where the 
monks employed themselves in copying books. On this 
side, also, was the treasury, where the costly plate and 
church ornaments were kept. The abbot and principal 
officers of the convent, had all separate houses, to the 
eastward of the cloister ; in which part of the building, 
were usually the hostery and question hall — rooms for the 
entertainment of strangers ; and, also, the apartment for 
novices. Westward of the cloister, was an outward court, 
round which was the monks' infirmary, and the almery. 
An embattled gate-house led to this court, which was 
the principal entrance of the abbey. The whole was sur- 
rounded with a high wall, including in its precincts, 
gardens, stables, granary, &c. ^ Some of the great abbeys 



11 

— as Glastenbury, and Furness — covered sixty acres of 
ground. The situation chosen for the site of an abbey 
was as different from that of the castle as the purpose to 
which it was applied. The one meant for defence stands 
boldly on the hill ; the other, intended for meditation, is 
hid in the sequestered valley. The abbots were origi- 
nally laymen and subject to the bishop. 



BearflS ^tnXl. off this head-land, it is a me- 
morable historical fact that the French fleet defeated the 
EngUsh and Dutch fleet, A. D. 1690. 



CJUrfft WinV^tnS, are of considerable anti. 
quity. They are elected yearly, in Easter week, in 
every parish. Their office is, to look after the church, 
church-yard, and the things belonging to them. They 
were first appointed in 1127. 



S93nCj^# Their first descent on the English coast, 
was at Portland, in the year 787 ; their second, in North- 



umberland, in 794 ; when they were repulsed, and perish- 
ed by shipwreck. They landed on Shepy Island in 832 ; 
and in Cornwall, in 8S6 ; but, were defeated by Egbert. 
They again made a descent at Charmouth, in Dor- 
setshire, from 35 ships, in 837, and stood their ground. 
They defeated Ethelwolf in 840 ; landed at the mouth 
of the Thames, and took Canterbury and London, in 
851 ; were subdued by Ethelwolf, at Okely, in Surry, 
in 853 ; and again they invaded Northumberland, and 
seized York, A. D. 867. They defeated Ethelred and 
his brother Alfred, at Basing and Merton, in 871 ; sur- 
prised Warham castle, and took Exeter, in 876 ; but, in 
the following year, 120 of their ships were wrecked, at 
Swanwich, Dorsetshire. In 878, Adam, earl of Devon, 
overthrew them, and 1205 of them were killed. In the 
year 894, their whole fleet was destroyed by Alfred, at 
Apuldore. They invaded Anglesea, A. D. 900 ; but, 
submitted to Edward the elder, in 921. They again 
made a descent in Dorsetshire, in 982, and Essex, in 
991 ; but, were bribed to leave the kingdom. Fresh in- 
vasions by them took place at Bristol, and in Kent, in 
998 ; but, in consideration of £.24,000, they agreed to 
leave the kingdom. On November 13th, 1002, great 



13 

numbers of them were massacred by order of Ethelredll. 
They continued their ravages, nevertheless ; and, at Ips- 
wich defeated the English, in 1110. The following year, 
they took Canterbury, and put nine out of ten of the in- 
habitants to death, A. D. 1011. They setded in Scotland 
about the year 1020 ; were expelled England, in 1041 ; 
but, landed again at Sandwich, in 1047, and carried off 
great plunder to Flanders. In 1069, they joined the 
Northumbrians, burnt York, and slew 3000 Normans, 
and again invaded the kingdom in 1074, but, were 
compelled by William the Conqueror to quit it. 



^SnptrOlIt a cap with a pad, and a pointed tail, 
han^ng behind, which was in use only a few centuries 
back, 

25O]rt0J), in Kent. Here was the famous wooden 
figure, called the rood of grace ; the lips and head of 
which, moved on the approach of its votaries. It was 
broken to pieces in 1538, by the bishop of Rochester, 
who shewed the credulous people the springs and wheels 
by which it was moved. 



14 



zBtUttij^^ were the priests and ministers of religion 
amongst the Britons, Celtic Gauls, and Germans. They 
were the interpreters of the gods, and the supreme judges 
in all causes, whether ecclesiastical, or civil ; and whoever 
refused to acquiesce in their decisions, was reckoned im- 
pious, and was excommunicated. Caesar, in the fourth 
book of the war with the Gauls, speaking of them, says, 
" It is thought that their institution came from Britain ; 
<* and those who desire a perfect knowledge of their mys- 
" teries, travel into that country. They never serve in 
" war, are exempt from all taxes, and are not subject to 
" slavery. They must learn by art a great number of 
'' verses, for, it is forbidden to write them, either in 
*' order to exercise their memory, or lest they should pro- 
" fane the mysteries, by publishing them; wherefore, they 
«' sometimes remain twenty years at college. One of the 
*' chiefest points of their theology, is, the immortality of 
*' the soul, a profitable belief, that inclines men to virtue 
<' by inspiring them with a contempt of death." Tacitus, 
in his annals, relates that Suetonius Paulinus was oppos- 
ed in his attempt on Mona, by the army of the Britons ; 
and that, after he had defeated them, he destroyed the 



15 

sacred groves of the Druids. Tiberius forbade, or abolish- 
ed Druidism among the Gauls ; and Pliny considers man- 
kind greatly indebted to the Romans for this act. Strabo 
describes the Druids as either burning their human vic- 
tims surrounded with hay, or fastening them to trees, 
and then piercing them with arrows. The veneration 
which the religion of the Druids inspired for trees, espe- 
cially for the oak, distinguished it from others ; hence, 
a strong doubt may be entertained of the fact of Stone- 
henge — which is situated in a plain, where there is every 
reason to suppose very few trees ever grew — having been 
of their erection, at least for a temple dedicated to the 
performance of religious rites. 

The great enemies of the Romans, were the Druids, 
who encouraged and animated the Britons, and induced 
even their women to brave the most imminent dangers, 
" running along the Hnes, in mourning attire, with fire- 
" orands in their hands, Hke furies." They were, how- 
ever, at last, obliged to submit to the superior genius of 
the Roman legions; and, retreated to the woods and 
caverns with which Wales abounds. 



16 



Copper SlOneB, was first used in Scotland and 
Ireland in 1340 ; in France, in 1581 ; and in England, 
in 1609. 

COtOnatlOllSf* The quantity of provisions con- 
sumed at the feasts given by some of our early Kings, 
was extraordinarily great. For that of King Edward I, 
February 10th, 1274, the different sheriffs were ordered 
to furnish butcher meat at Windsor, in the following 
proportions :— 

Oxen. Swine. Sheep. Fowls. 

Sheriff of Gloucester, - 60 101 60 3000 



Bucks and Bedford 40 


66 


40 


2100 


Oxford - - 40 


67 


40 


2100 


Kent - - 40 


67 


40 


2100 


Surry and Sussex 40 


67 


40 


2600 


Warwick & Leicester 60 


98 


40 


3000 


Somerset & Dorset 100 


176 


110 


5000 


Essex - - 60 


101 


60 


3160 


Total, twelve counties - 440 


744 


430 


22,460 



In the year 1307, King Edward II. issued an 
order to the senechal of Gascony, and constable of 



17 

Bourdeaux, to provide a thousand pipes of good wine, 
and send them to London, to be used a,t the approaching 
coronation. The purchase and freight were to be paid 
by a company of Florentine merchants, who farmed the 
T^venues of Gascony. The coronation oath was first 
taken by Ethelred II. A. D. 979; that now used, in 
1877. It was amended in 1689. The first coronation 
sermon was preached in lO^il. The following statement 
of the prices given for seats, to obtain a view of passing 
objects during the coronations of former times, may^ 
perhaps, prove interesting :— 

The price of a good place at the coronation of William 
the Conqueror, was a blank ; at that of his son, William 
Rufus, the same. At Henry I.'s, it was a crocard ; at Ste- 
phen's, and Henry II.'s, it was a pollard* At Richard's, 
and King John's, it was a jfusMn. It rose at the Sd 
Henry's, to a dod-Jcin, In the reign of Edward, the coin 
begins to be more intelligible ; and we find that, for a 
seat, to view his coronation, a Q was given, or the 
half of a ferling, or farthing, the fourth part of a ster- 
ling, or penny. At the 2d Edward's, it was a farthing ; 
and at his son's, Edward III* a hal^enny. At Richard 

II.'s it was Si penny, and continued the same to that of 

c 



15 

Henry IV. inclusive. At the 5th Henry's, it was two 
pennies; and similar prices were paid at the corona- 
tions of Henry VI. Edward IV. Edward V. Richard III. 
and Henry VII. At that of Henry VIII. it was a gros- 
suSp or groat ; and the same was paid at that of Edward 
VI. and Queen Mary's. At Queen EHzabeth's, it rose 
to a tesfoon, or tester. At those of James I. and Charles 
I. a shilling' was given ; which was advanced to hal/^- 
crown, at those of Charles II. and James II. At King 
W'illiam's and Queen Anne's, it was a crown; and the same 
at that of George I. At George II.'s, half-a-guinea, 
and, afterwards, at George III.'s, a guinea was the com- 
mon charge. But, at that of His present Majesty, as 
high 2i^ forty guineas were given for a single seat. 

Sift ttf OntoaK^ The castle in this town was first 
built by an Earl of Chester, in the reign of William I. 
was destroyed in the time of Stephen, and rebuilt by 
Edward I. It is one of the finest structures in Wales. 

^t« SllbnUSi, Hertfordshire, was a free city un- 
der the Roman dominion ; and is supposed to be more 
ancient than London. It arose from the ruins of the an- 



19 

clent city of Verulam ; and receives its name from a 
monastery dedicated to St. Alban. In it were buried 
several royal personages ; and, amongst the rest, the fa- 
mous Duke Humphrey, whose body was discovered only 
a few years ago. 

^9illCt« The trade was a brotherhood in England 
in the reign of Henry II. The white bakers were in- 
corporated in 1307, by Edward II. ; and the brown, in 
1685, in James II.'s time. 

38aiintrrt* TMs order of Knighthood takes prece- 
dence next to Knights of the Bath. It is never bestowed 
but for some heroic action ; and, formerly, was conferred 
only by the Sovereign on the field. In 1764, Sir Wil- 
liam Erskine, on his return from the continent, was made 
a Knight Banneret, in Hyde Park, by his late Majesty, in 
consequence of his distinguished conduct at the battle of 
EmsdorfF. The ceremony of investment with the order, 
took place between the two standards of the 15th Light 
Dragoons. It was also conferred on Captain Trollop, 
R. N. for his services off the Texel, in 1797. 



to 



^^Vttt^t^i formed no part of the ancient Grecian 
or Roman dress. They were introduced into England 
instead of trunk hose, about the year 1654. 

(iTdtSi* All antiquaries are agreed that the CeJts 
formed part of the original inhabitants of Europe ; but, 
they differ with respect to the districts which are now 
occupied by their descendants. 

About 500 years before Christ, the Scythians, or Goths, 
who inhabited the most northern parts of Europe, attack- 
ed the Celts, and, after nearly exterminating them, drove, 
and confined the remainder of them to the western ex- 
tremity of Gaul ; where, in tiie'niauntains of Wales, and 
Scotland, and in some districts of Ireland, the small 
remains of their posterity are still to be found. That the 
Celtic Language was at one time spoken over ^11 Scot- 
land, is evident from the names of places in almost every 
diatrict 

iBSmt^ was ©riginaUy applied to a person who was 
mistress of a family, and of noble birth j as it is still us^d 
in law. 



^^t ^afllfj was the standard ef the ancient Ro-; 
liians. Every legion had an Eagle of gold, or silver, gr^^p-' 
mg ia thunderbolt in its talohs, and fixed on the top of a' 
sjpfeiar. The reli^ous care which the soldiers took of theit 
Eagles, was extraordinary ; for, they worshipped thatij' 
Bwore by them^ and incurred the penalty of death if they 
lost them. 

^flBPtt the kingdom of, is supposed to have beien • 
founded by Misraim, the sbh of Ham, the second son of 
Noah, 2188 years before Christ. It is described by an- 
cient authors to have contained 20,000 towns or cities ; 
and its Kings are said to have had armies of 300,000' 
men, and to have executed those prodigious works— the 
pyramids, the labyrinth, .the obelisks, temples, and 
pompous palaces^ the lake Moeris, and the vast canals. 
The extent of country appears very disproportionate to 
the great populatioii which it must have contained, i£ 
the amazing fertility of the soil be not considered to have 
rendered the produce equal to the consumption. It was 
conquered by the Turks in the year 1517; and, since 
that time, has been governed by a Bashaw, who resides 
at Cairo. The present population of the country is com- 



puted at 2,300,000 souls^ consisting of four different races 
of people ; the Turks, the Arabs, the Cophts — who are 
descended from the first Egyptians, who became chris- 
tians— -and the Mamlouks who were originally Circassian 
and Mingrelian slaves, and are now the only military 
force of the country. The largest of the pyramids takes 
up ten acres of ground, and, like the others, is built upon 
a rock. Externally, it is chiefly constructed of large square 
stones ; and it rises about 700 feet in height. Within these 
and in their vicinity, catacombs are found, containing 
mummies, or embalmed dead bodies, which are three 
or four thousand years old. In 1798, the French, with 
an army of 40,000 men, took possession of this country 
after a feeble resistance from the natives ; but, on the 8th 
of March, 1801, a British army effected a landing, and 
after several hard-fought battles, succeeded in compelling 
the French, then commanded by General Menou, to ca- 
pitulate for the evacuation of the country. 

SttllC* This title was first conferred in England, in 
1336. It is created by patent, cincture of a sword, mantle 
of state, imposition of a cap and coronet of gold on the 
head, and the placing of a virge of gold in the hand. His 



23 

title is Grace ; and, in the style of the Heralds, he is called 
most high, potent, high-born, and noble Prince. Their 
eldest sons are, by the courtesy of England, styled 
Marquises ; and their youngest. Lords, with the addition 
of their christian names. 

SI jStlt courts a village in France, rendered famous 
by a battle fought near it on the 25th of October, 1415, 
by Henry V. of England, with 10,000 men, and a 
French army of 60,000 men, who were completely 
overthrown, with the loss of 92 Barons, 1500 Knights, 
8000 gentlemen of family, and several thousand privates 
left dead on the field ; besides 14,000 prisoners, including 
the Duke of Orleans, and many other personages of dis- 
tinction. The loss of the English, including the Duke 
of York, the fifth son of Edward III. — and the Earl of 
Suffolk, who were killed, did not exceed 100 men. 

MpSinSiS^^ a settled portion of lands, formerly as- 
signed by the Kings of France to their younger sons, 
which reverted to the crown on the failure of male issue 
of that branch. 



24 



IB(9itt9^ So great a one existed in England and 
France, in 1094, that a quarter of wheat was sold for a 
sum equal to £.6 of our present currency. The years 
1193, 1194, 1195, and 1222, were likewise remarkable 
for great scarcity of provisions. In 1251, also, wheat sold 
as high as 40s. a quarter, which is equivalent to £.8 in 
the present day. In 1315, wheat brought £.S a bushel ; 
and the poor were reduced to the necessity of eating 
horse-flesh, and dogs. In 1316, another dearth was ex- 
perienced, owing to the rains ; and^this calamity was again 
felt in 1348, 1353, and 1438, when, in many places, 
bread was actually made of fern roots, and ivy berries ! 

CfFSrL This title, although the third rank among the 
nobility of the present day, was anciently the highest in 
the nation. It was first conferred on Alfred, afterwards 
Kmg of England. 

CSinnOlt^ were originally made of iron bars, sol- 
dered together, and strengthened with strong iron hoops. 
At first, stone balls were thrown out of these cannon ; and 
only a small quantity of powder was used, on account of 



2S 

their weakness. When they were first made, is un- 
certain. The Venetians employed them at the siege of 
Chioggia, in 1866. They were brought thither by two 
Germans, with some powder, and leaden balls. In the 
battle of Cressy, 1346, King Edward III. had four 
pieces of ordnance, planted on a height, which caused 
the greatest confusion in the French army. Formerly, 
cannon were dignified with uncommon names. In 1508, 
Louis XII. had twelve brass ones cast, and gave them 
the names of the twelve peers of France. The Spanish 
and Portuguese named them after their Saints. A60-pouh- 
der at Dover castle, is called Queen Elizabeth's pocket pis- 
tol. An 80-pounder, in the tower of London, formerly 
in Edinburgh castle is called Mount's Meg. There 
are two leather field pieces in the Tower; and one at 
Malta. 

Cafimet Council, was first instituted in Eng. 
land, A. D. 1670. 

$(|ant, a coin of pure gold, of an uncertain va- 
lue, struck at Byzantium, in the time of the Christian 
Emperors. Hence, the gold offered by the King at the 
altar is called Bezant. 



26 



Cl?H£itn\ The word used to denote this season, has 
no relation to the solemnity of celebrating the resurrec- 
tion of Christ from the grave ; but, took its rise from 
JEaster, the name of the Saxon deity or goddess, whose 
festival was celebrated about this time of the year ; and, 
after its abolishment, the name was retained, having been 
first observed about the year 68. 

J^OUtH-^SS^UQt&y were first given to the King's 
servants, in 1629. 

CtlllOilen^iHtlir, Invemess-shire. Here the 
Duke of Cumberland gained a decisive victory over the 
rebels, April 1 6th, 1746. The graves where the slain were 
buried, are yet visible, and are covered with short, rich 
grass, much eaten by the sheep.— All around, is a wild 
and barren heath. 

It is a well-known fact that the unfortunate Prince 
Charles, after his disastrous overthrow in this celebrated 
battle, owed his life and safety to the hospitality and 
faithful attachment of a band of notorious thieves. The 
names of those men were Kennedy ; and though aware of 



27 

the reward offered for his head, served him with fidelity, 
often robbing for his support, and even going to Inverness 
in disguise to buy food for him. A considerable time af- 
terwards, the father was executed "^r liftin o^ a cow.'''* 
Regularly, every day, they mounted guard upon the 
Prince, placed their sentries at the head and foot of the 
glen, and had a foraging party of two, to fetch provisions. 
The heroic courage and trusty conduct of these poor fel- 
lows, deserve the greatest admiration. The Prince staid 
-with the banditti five weeks and three days, betwixt the 
braes of Glcnmorriston and Glen Strath-Ferrar. Hugh 
Chisholm, one of the party, was in Edinburgh many 
years afterwards, and to many people related his story. 
With some of those who gave him money, he shook 
hands, hoping, he said, they would excuse him giving his 
left hand, as, when he parted with the Prince, he got a 
shake of his Royal Highnesses hand, and was resolved ne- 
ver to give his right hand till he saw the Prince again. 

On Prince Charles landing in the Isles, government 
issued a proclamation, offering a reward of ^.30,000 
for his head, alive, or dead. In opposition to this, the 
following curious paper was issued by the Prince and his 
council, which, Mr Beloe says, " is so rare, that I never 



28 

heard of any other than that which accident lately depo- 
sited in the British Museum :'' ^ ■'■' 

" Charles, Prince of Wales, &c. 

" Regent of the Kingdoms of Scotland, Fraiice, Atid 
Ireland, and the Dominions thereunto belon^ng, 

' « Whereas, we have seen a certain scaiidalous and nla- 
Hcious paper, published in the style and form of a pro- 
clamation, bearing date the 1st instant, wherein, under 
pretence of bringing us to justice, like our Royal Ancestor, 
King Charles I. of blessed memory, there is a reward of 
J'SOjOOO sterling promised to those who shall deliver us 
into the hands of our enemies, we could not but be mov- 
ted with a just indignation at so insolent an attempt : 
and though, from our nature and principles, \^e abhor 
and detest a practice so unusual among Christian Princes, 
we cannot but, out of just regard to the dignity of 5ur 
person, promise a like reward of .£'.30,000 sterling to 
him, or those, who shall seize and secure till our further 
orders, the person of the Elector of Hanover, whether 
landed, or attemptmg to land, in any part of his Majesty's 
dominions. Should any fatal accident happen from hence. 



. ](&t( the blame be entirely at the dooa* of those wjio first 
set the infamous example. 

Charles, P. R. 

i!:i^it€© at our Camp, at Kinloqkeill, August 22, 1745. 
.M;-, .' J3y Jlis Highnesses Command. 

John Murray.'' 

The project of this rebellion was concerted by Cardinal 
Tencin, who had succeeded Fleury, as prime-minister of 
France. He had been recommended to the purple by 
the Chevalier St. George, and was warmly attached to 
the Stuart family. 

jBdint^Cl^ originally used for a young gentlewoman, 
or lady of distinction— an attendant of the higher ranks. 

ISUttfCtinllttg^ was remarkable for its mag- 
nificent abbeyj and a royal palace, in which King Charles 
the I. was born. The ruins of the abbey are still to be ^een. 
In the upper part of a wii^dow of the room in which this 
Prince is said to have been born, there is a carving in 
stone, representing the Annunciation. The execution 
of this piece of sculpture, is far from inelegant ; but. 



30 

wonder, is excited by the date, which is 1100, in Ara- 
bic figures. This is undoubtedly the oldest date, in 
Arabic figures, in Scotland. — It has been ascertained that 
there are two in England still older. Very recently, still 
greater interest has been attached to this abbey, in con- 
sequence of the coffin containing the body of King Ro- 
bert' the Bruce, having been unexpectedy discovered 
there. 

3St90tl^ in Europe, is the punishment of those 

nobly bom; and was first introduced into England 

in 1074. In China, on the contrary, it is the punishment 

of the lower ranks of society ; those of the superior orders, 

are hanged, by way of distinction ! 

^^il-SKSattlneSitiaB, the first day of Lent, on 

which, in the primitive church, notorious sinners were put 
to open penance, in the following manner : They appear- 
ed at the church door bare-footed, and clothed in sack- 
cloth, where, being examined, their discipline was propor- 
tioned to their offences ; after which, being brought into 
the church, and the bishop, singing the seven penetential 
, psalms, they prostrated themselves, and, with tears, begged 



m 

absolution — the whole congregation having ashes on their 
heads, to signify that they were ail mortal, and deserved 
to be burnt to ashes for their sins. 

'IBrtl'HlCltt were first appointed in London in 
1556. 

(IDy lbEirjJ# The objects of this institution, were, to 
check the insolence of overgrown oppressors, to vindicate 
the helpless, especially females, and to redress grievances. 
Knighthood was esteemed more honourable than Royalty 
itself; and Monarchs were even known to receive it from 
the hands of private gentlemen. As valour, gallantry, 
and religion, equally entered into the character of a true 
KNIGHT, it is believed that the spirit of chivalry had a 
great share in refining the manners of the European na- 
tions, during the twelfth, and three following centuries. 
The combatants, fighting more for glory than for revenge, 
or interest, became eminent for magnanimity and heroism. 
The heroes who had signalized themselves in the Cru- 
sades, anxious to acquire fame at home, entered 
into the bonds of chivalry, for redressing -wrongs, and 
protecting widows and orphans. Female beauty— -which 



32 

makes the deepest impression on the benevolent— Kjaine to 
be the capital object of their protection : every ceremony 
regarding tournaments, was contrived to honour the ladies. 
Accordingly it belonged to them to inspect the arms of the 
combatants, and to distribute the rewards. In 1414, John, 
Duke de Bourbonnois, caused it to be proclaimed that 
he intended an expedition to England, with 16 Knights, 
in order to combat an equal number of Enghsh Knights, 
—for glorifying the angel he worshipped. Instances of 
this kind, without number, stand upon record. James 
IV. of Scotland, in all tournaments, professed himself the 
Knight to Anne, Queen of France. She afterwards sum- 
moned him to prove himself her true and valorous chan^-i 
pion, by taking the field in her defence, against Henry 
VIII. of England ; and, accordingly, James declared 
war against his brother4n-law. ., 

The court of chivalry, or Marshal's court, the judges 
of which, were the Lord High Constable and Earl Marshal, 
formed part of the aulo, regis, established , by William 
the Conqueror. To their decision, were referred all 
matters of honour and arms ; and, when Edward I. new- 
modelled our judicial polity, the same officers were ap- 
pointed to preside over the court of chivaky, with ju- 



33 

risdiction to try iTi^^tters of arms and war, — such as the 
bearings of coat-armour, the right of place, and prece- 
dence : but, they could only give reparation to the party 
injured in point of honour, and not by an award of da- 
mages. As to matters of war, they had the marshaling 
of the King's army, and kept a list of the officers and 
soldiers of which it was composed. Preparatory to a war, 
they were charged with drawing up rules and orders for 
the due observance of discipline ; and the offences and 
miscarriages of soldiers, were subject to their trial and 
judgment. 



'3B33Ptjl0^ an instrument known to the Greeks, 
as appears from a piece of Grecian sculpture, preserved 
at Rome, which represents a bag-piper playing on his 
instrument, exactly like a modern highlander. It is said 
to have been introduced into Britain by the Danes. 
There are two varieties ; the one, with long pipes, the 
bag being inflated with the mouth ; the other, with short 
pipes, and distended with a bellows. It has long been 
a favourite instrument among the Scotch. 



(0ttj9[l9[ltu^ was invaded by Julius Caesar, 54 years 
before Christ ; and was completely subdued by Agricola, 
85 years after our Saviour. To this, however, the west- 
ern parts of the island were an exception; for, there, 
many of the Britons retired, and carefully avoided all 
intermixture with foreigners. Their language, in fact, 
still remains to the present day — with the introduction of 
a few words of Latin origin — a monument of their former 
independence. The Romans kept possession of England 
till the year- 410. About the year 450 — the nation being 
ravaged by the Picts and Scots — their King, Vortigen, 
called in the Angles to their assistance, a people inhabiting 
a tract of country on the continent, between the Saxons 
and Jutes. These auxiliaries, however, soon became mas- 
ters of the whole country ; and, having repelled the 
incursions of the Picts and Scots, divided it into seven 
kingdoms, which they called the Heptarchy ; and, from 
their own origin, the appellation of Angle was given to 
the whole country. Being infidels, they brought a num- 
ber of idols with them, after whose names, they gave appel- 
lations to the several days of the week ; and, from these, 
the present days derive their names. In 8^7, Egbert 



S5 

united the heptarchy into one kingdom — The nation was 
conquered by the Danes in the year 877 ; but, recovered 
by Alfred in 880, and divided into counties and hun- 
dreds in 886. It was invaded by the Scots in 921 ; by 
the Welsh in 984 ; by Sweyn, king of Denmark, in 1003, 
and 1013 ; and by William. Duke of Normandy, in 1066, 
who, defeating Harold at the battle of Hastings, ascended 
the throne. This signal victory was accomplished with 
the slaughter of the principal nobility of the island. The 
Anglo-Saxons now formally made their submission ; 
and it is to be observed that, unlike the Britons, they 
lost their language and their liberty at the same time ; 
for, William ordered that their children should not be in- 
structed in their mother tongue, but, in Norman only ; 
so that, by the latter end of Henry II.'s reign, the Saxon 
language had fallen into disuse. In the dialect of Lan- 
cashire, Cheshire, and the oldest English authors, many 
words of Anglo-Saxon derivation, are, nevertheless, still to 
be met with. In 1069, the Irish, joined by the sons of 
Harold, invaded the country. Malcolm, King of Scotland, 
made irruptions into the kingdom in 1071, 1091, and 1093. 
It was again invaded by David, King of Scotland, in 
1136 ; by the Welsh, in the same year ; and by the Scots 



m 

in 1183. It was put under an interdict by the Pope in 
1206. The whole country rose up in arms in 1915, and 
obtained a reformation in government, by King John 
signing Magna Charta. 

TSStirSHT^ d yearly festival of the Turks, which they 
keep after the fast of Ramadan. It is concluded with a 
solemn prayer against the infidels— -to extirpate christian 
princes, or to arm them against one another ; that they 
may have an opportunity of extending their law. 

'IBllJ-Slf, in our ancient customs, denotes the invi- 
tation of friends, to drink at some poor matfs house, who, 
in return, expects some contribution for his relief. 

(JTclIUinrtj the pipe of peace, among the Indians 
of North America. The bowl of it is made of red mar- 
ble, and the tube, of a %ht wood, three or four feet 
long, curiously painted with hieroglyphics in various 
colours, and adorned with the feathers of birds. Every 
nation has a different method of decorating these pipes, 
and they can tell, at first sight, to what tribe any of 
them belongs. It is respected as a safe conduct amongst 



37 

all the allies of the nation that has given it. It is used 
with great solemnity at the commencement of all counsels, 
and at the making of treaties. 

CSttiinSL This title had its rise about the year 
SOO, under Pope Sylvester, by which appellation, was 
meant the chief priests of a parish, and next in dignity to 
a bishop. This rank, however, became of more impor- 
tance afterwards ; and gradually arrived at its present 
splendour. 

^tCJ^trj)* The bow and arrow were the first arms 
made use of by man ; as appears from the ^Ist c. Genes. 
V, ^0. 

It is pretty certain that the inhabitants of Britain did 
not employ this weapon in battle, at the time that Julius 
Caesar first invaded this country ; for, it is not enumerated 
among the arms of the natives, in the minute description 
given of them by that author. It is probable, indeed, 
that it was the Romans themselves who introduced the 
bow as a military weapon into Britain ; as archers often 
formed a great part of their foreign troops. About the 
year 448, the Saxons entered Britain to succour the na- 



tives against the ravages of the Picts and Scots. These 
auxiliaries used both the long, and the cross-bow. The 
Danes were accustomed to archery in battle ; for, it is 
frequently taken notice of by our early chronicle-writers, 
at the period of the incursions of that warlike people. It 
is well known how successfully William, the bastard, used 
it at the battle of Hastings. It was disused immediately 
after the conquest, but, revived by the Crusaders. The 
state of Westminster, 13. Edward I. ordains that every 
man, between the age of 15 and 20, shall be assessed and 
sworn to account, accorditig to his goods, &c. (after de- 
scribing the weapons of the times, in respect to their gra- 
dation of expense,) and that all others shall have bows 
and arrows. In 1417, (Edward V.) it was ordered 
that six wing-feathers, to be plucked from every goose, 
for arrows, should be paid to the King. By stat.SS. 
Henry VIII. it is forbidden to shoot at a standing 
mark, unless it be for a rover, where the archer is to 
change his mark at every shot ; and any person above 
^4 years old, is forbidden to shoot with any prick-shaft, 
at a mark of eleven score yards or under. The former 
was a provision for making a good marksman at sight ; 
the latter, forgiving strength and firmness. Louis XII. 



39 

of France was the first who abolished the use of the 
long-bow, introducing in its stead, the halbert, pike, 
and broad sword. 



Sf , 3(6, or Slfef^ At the beginning, or end of 
the name of a place, is the Saxon word Ac, which signifies 
an oak ; as, Acton, is synonymous with Oak-town ; and 
Austins ac, with Austin's oak. The names of persons, 
with a similar termination, are derived either from the 
places of their birth or from some achievement done 
there. 



(i^&tVlUQt^ in our old customs. Knight's ser- 
vice, by which the tenant was bound to follow his 
lord to the war, at his own charge. It also implies 
a sum of money paid to the lord, in lieu of such 
service. 



Commi^J^iOn^ Ot ^nag, were authorities 
issued to experienced officers, to draw out and array the 



40 

fittest men for service in each county, and to march them 
to the sea coasts, or to such other quarters of the country 
as were judged to be most in danger. Of these commis- 
sions of array, there are many in the French rolls in the 
tower of London, from 36. Edward III. to the reign 
of Edwaril IV. They were attempted to be revived 
again by Charles I. but, voted by the parharaent ta be 
illegal and unconstitutionaU 

MlltiinnSS^ were first introduced in the reformed 
service of the English church, at the beginning of the 
reign of Queen Elizabeth. 

2S0ilJ,was introduced into the Roman army, about 
218 years before Christ ; and has been the most universal 
of all the weapons, employed either in hunting, or in 
war ; for, it was made use of even amongst the most bar- 
barous and remote people, who had the least communi- 
cation with the rest of mankind. It continued in use in 
England till 1640. Bows were of two kinds; the long 
bow, which was made of yew, and in the use of which, 
the old English archers excelled those of every other na- 
tion ; and the cross-bow, which was the favourite weapon 



41 

of the French in the eleventh century. Richard I. of Eng- 
land, was killed by a cross-bow, at the siege of Chains. 

^tnt^^ the principal arms of the ancient Britons, 
were, hatchets, scythes, lances, swords, and bucklers. 
The Saxons brought in the halbert, bow, arrows, and 
cross-bow. By the ancient laws of England, every man 
was obliged to bear arms, except the judges and clergy. 
Arms of parade, or courtesy, were those used in the an- 
cient justs and tournaments, which were commonly un- 
shod lances, swords without edge or point, wooden swords, 
and even canes. Arms of offence or defence, formerly 
consisted of stone and brass, before iron and steel were 
applied to that purpose. 

iSttflOU^^ the provincial judges among the ancient 
Irish, by whom justice was administered, and controver- 
sies were decided. The laws observed by them, called 
Brehon laws, were abolished in 1604. 

TBCttlttSit^R^ The sovereignty of this kingdom was 
formerly elective ; but, in 1660, it was rendered here- 
ditary and absolute-^partly, by consent of the people, 



4g 

partly by force. The modern Danes have very few laws, 
and those are so plain, that they have little need of 
lawyers. They allow of only one apothecary in a town, 
except at Copenhagen, where there are two ; and their 
shops are visited once a week by the physicians, and all 
the damaged drugs are destroyed. In 1522, the inha- 
bitants embraced the Protestant faith, of the confession 
of Augsburgh. 

JSUU^dTlQjlt^^ succeeded the practice of tourna- 
ments, in 1560. 

0ll)lOn^ or Britannia. Caesar gives the following 
description of this country. The interior part of Bri- 
tannia is inhabited by the natives of the country ; but, 
on the coasts, by the Gauls. The island is well peopled, 
and their houses resemble those of the Gauls. They 
have numerous herds of cattle. They use copper money, 
or iron rings, by weight, for want of silver. AH sorts 
of wood grow there, as in France, except beech and fir. 
The people scruple to eat hares, geese, and hens, although 
they breed them for pleasure. The air is more tempe- 
rate than in Gallia, and the cold less violent. Ireland is 



43 

not half so large as England. Between them, lies the 
Isle of Man, or Anglesea, where some say there are 
thirty days, during which, the sun never rises in winter ; 
, but, I found no such thing ; only I have observed, by 
water-clocks, that the nights are shorter in those parts, 
than they are in Gallia. The most civilized people in 
Britain are those of the county of Kent, which lies along 
the coast. Most of the inhabitants live upon milk, and 
the flesh of their flocks, and wear their skins for clothing. 
All the British paint their bodies with woad ; which 
makes them of a bluish colour, and renders them more 
formidable in battle. Their women are conunon to ten 
or twelve men ; but, their children belong to those who 
married them. Tacitus, in the life of Agricola, says, 
the origin of the inhabitants (of Britain) is not known— 
whether they are indigenag or strangers. The Scots, 
in the colour of their hair, and in their stature resemble the 
Germans. Those who dwell on the side next Spain, 
have curled hair, and are of a tawny colour. The 
rest are like the Gauls, to whom they are neighbours. 

CSpttdbtnSS^ monks of the order of St. Francis, 
who are clothed in brown, or grey; are always bare- 



44. 

footed ; never go in" a coach ; and never shave their 
heads. 

35HUfett^, first became an occupation, in this coun- 
try, about the year 1645. The first public bank was at 
Venice, in 1550. The bank of England was estabhshed 
in 1693. In 1696, their notes were at 20 per cent, dis- 
count. The old Scotch bank was established in 1695 ; 
and, in 1745, made their payments in silver, for the ex- 
press purpose of delay. 

33mUuiOVl)^ Dorsetshire, is styled a borough in 
ancient records, hut, sent representatives to parliament 
only twice, viz. S3. Edward I. and 22. Edward III. 
At a small distance from the further extremity of the 
town, stood a remarkable oak tree, called Damery Oak. 
In 1747, this tree measured 75 feet in height, and the 
branches extended over a space of ground 72 feet in di- 
ameter. The trunk was no less than 12 feet in diameter, 
at 17 feet above the ground. The circumference, at the 
surface of the ground, was 68 feet ; and its diameter 23. 
This extraordinary tree was hollow ; and the cavity, at 
the bottom, was 15 feet wide, 17 in height, and could 



45^ 

contain nearly 20 men. During the civii war, and till 
after the restoration, an old man sold ale in it. 

Srrt^tttl* The ancient records of the history 
and antiquities of this kingdom, were destroyed by the 
Danes, during their frequent invasions in the 9th and 
10th centuries. And whatever writings or monuments, 
had, by chance, or care, remained to a later period, they 
were, by the shameful policy of our ancestors — from the 
first invasion of Henry Plantagenet, down to the reign 
of James I.— diligently sought for, and destroyed ; the 
perusal of such works being thought likely to keep aUve 
the spirit of the natives, and, by reminding them of the 
power, independence, and prowess of their ancestors, 
excite and maintain their disposition to rebellion. Of 
all the glory, however, and chivalry, and boasted im- 
provement, of the early Irish, not a vestige remained at 
the aera of the English invasion ; and, therefore, we are 
fairly left to doubt if they ever did exist at all, except 
in the imaginations of Irish antiquaries. 

In the year 1156, Pope Adrian, by a Bull, yielded all 
Ireland to Henry II. ; enjoining him to go over and root 
out the foul wickedness of the Irish, and not forgetting 



46 

to exact Peter'*s pence in behalf of the holy see. The 
Irish, reluctant to pay this tax, or recognise the autho- 
rity of Henry, resisted their invaders ; but, with so little 
success, that the English established themselves with such 
firmness, as to be never afterwards expelled. For very 
many years after the conquest, the English exercised 
a most savage authority over the natives. In fact, to 
kill one of whom, was accounted no crime ; and every 
pretext was used to encourage the extirpation of that 
unhappy race of people. The Englishmen of the pale — 
the district which they occupied being so denominated — 
was allowed to put to death every thief, or liar, or 
mere Irishman — for, the names were used promiscuously 
— that he met with. The custom of shaving the upper 
lip being confined to the English, the native was imme- 
diately discovered, and generally expiated the oifence of 
wearing mushtachoes, by the loss of his head.* The 
mutual hatred of the two nations, and the ferocious spi- 

* By an old act of parliament, 28. Henry VIII. called the Glib Act, it 
was directed that the Irish gentry, who were of English, or Norman ex- 
traction, should forfeit the privileges of their original country, if they 
did not shave their upper lip, whilst, to the old Irish, this was altogether 
forbidden* 



47 

rit of the Irish chieftains, which alternately led them 
to submit and to revolt, had, for centuries, kept ahve 
incessant hostilities between them and their conquerors 
of the pale. 

At the same time, the reformation in the church added 
religious animosity to the other dissensions with which 
this ill-fated country was torn, and thus rendered the 
evils incurable. It now became the war of a Catholic 
colony against its Protestant government ; and the whole 
island seemed to be armed in defence of the faith of St 
Patrick. The Kings of England, it may be remark- 
ed, were first called Lords of Ireland till 1542, when 
Henry VIII. took the title of King. 

The discontents of civil war were aggravated during 
the reign of Elizabeth, by a severe system 'of religious 
intolerance, under which, the sufferings of Ireland are 
not to be excused upon any principle of justice, or neces- 
sity. The bitter fruits of this oppression, appeared in 
the horrible massacre of the Protestants in 1641. Re- 
ligious diiferences during Charles I.'s unhappy reign, 
were the foundation of continued murders and rapine ; 
and the peace of Ireland was sacrificed to the influence 
of the Irish priests, and the fulminations of the Pope's 
Nuncio. 



48 

The British revolution of 1688, brought distressed 
Ireland only a code of penal laws of unparalleled oppres- 
sion — the effects of national hatred towards a conquered 
people, not proceeding from the fears of the victors, but, 
from their security. By the total reduction of Ireland 
in 1691, the ruin of the native Irish, and, in a great 
measure, too, of the first race of the English, was ac- 
complished ; and a new interest of families, — constituting 
the firm consolidation and sway of the English party in 
Ireland, — was settled with as much stability, as can 
possibly be looked for in human affairs. From this time, 
the Churchmen and Presbyterians drew more nearly and 
cordially to each other, and opposed themselves to those 
whom they considered as their common enemies-^the 
Catholics. 

Popery, in fact, still continued to be dreaded in Eng- 
land, when it might have been securely despised ; and, 
therefore, in the reign of Anne, laws of the severest kind 
were enacted against it. It has been asserted, indeed, 
that, so late as 1723, an act was passed by the parliament 
of Ireland, for catching, and emasculating all Irish priests ; 
as if those unhappy men had been capable of perpetuating 
their faith and their species by the same means ! 



49 

It was not till the tolerating dispositions of George 
II. and his minister, Walpole, that the Catholics of Ire- 
land began to experience a milder system of government. 
About this time, (1747,) the English in Ireland began 
to be domiciliated, and to feel that it was their own 
country which they inhabited; and this interest at 
length openly and boldly became an independent feeling, 
as truly aUve to what affected its prosperity, as could 
ever be experienced by the native Irish. The indepen- 
dence of Ireland was established in 1782 ; and the 
union with England took place in 1801. 

The actual population of Ireland is supposed to exceed 
six millions and a half. Its productive land has been 
computed to amount to 13,445,375 acres : — there are, 
consequently, little more than two acres to each in- 
habitant. 

^O^nhMnVVin^ti. Henry VIII. was mar- 
ried to every one of his wives, according to the ritual of 
the church of Rome. His example, in this respect, was 
followed by his daughter, Mary, who was married to Phi- 
lip, Prince of Spain, at Winchester, in July, 1554, by 
Bishop Gardiner ; Archbishop Branmer being then in 

E 



50 

prison. Janaes I. was married, several years before he 
came to England, to the Princess of Denmark, at Up- 
stors, in Norway ; the ceremony being performed, in the 
French language, by Mr David Lindsay, Minister of 
Leith. The marriage of Charles I. was solemnized at 
Paris ; the Duke of Chartres being his proxy. Charles 
II.'s Queen scrupling to perform the offices of the 
church, he only took her by the hand, in the presence- 
chamber, at Portsmouth, and said the words of the matri- 
monial service in the common prayer book ; " I, Charles, 
take thee, Catherine," &c. the queen declaring her con- 
sent, and Dr Sheldon, Bishop of London, standing forth, 
and declaring them man and wife, in the name of the 
father", &c. The first marriage of James II. — (then 
Duke of York) — which was to Lord Chancellor Claren- 
don's daughter, was a private one, performed at Worces- 
ter-house, 3d September, 1660, by Doctor Browther, the 
Duke's chaplain ; the second, to the Princess of Mo- 
dena, was performed at Dover, in November, 1673, 
on the day of her arrival, by Doctor Crewe, then Bishop 
of Oxford, and, afterwards, of Durham. George I. and 
George II. were married before they came to the throne. 
George III. married the Princess Charlotte Sophia, 



51 

second daughter of the Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz ; 
and the ceremony took place at the royal chapel, St 
James's, on the evening of the 8th September, 1761. 
His present Majesty was married to CaroKne, Princess 
of Brunswick, on the 8th of April 1795. 

^J^ftt^fiUrg, Dorsetshire, Camden says, ««was 
<^ undoubtedly built by Alfred ; for, Malmsbury, the 
*' historian, has told us there was an ancient stone in his 
*' time removed out of the ruins of the wall of the city, 
<« into the chapter-house of the nuns, which had this in- 
" scription : — 

* Anno Dominico Incarnationis JElfredus Rex, fecit 
'banc urbem DCCCLXXX. Regni sui VIII.' 

'* Leland says, ' There was an inscription on the right 
' hand, entering the chapter-house, set up by King Al- 
' fred in knowledge that he repaired Shaftesbury, destroyed 
' by the Danes.' It is certain that, in the Saxon age, it 
was a place of great note, on account of its monastery, 
and the translation of the body of St Edward the Mar- 
tyr hither. King Athelstan fixed here two mints, which, 



52 

in the time of Edward the Confessor, were increased to 
three. In 1278, John Packham, Archbishop of Can- 
terbury, excommunicated Sir Osbert Gifford, Knight, 
for steaUng two nuns out of the nunnery at Wilton ; but, 
absolved him on these conditions, that he should never 
come into a nunnery, or into the company of nuns; 
that he should, for three Sundays together, be whipped 
in his parish church of Wilton, and as many times in the 
market and church of Shaftesbury ; and fast a certain 
number of months ; and not wear a shirt for three years ; 
and not take upon him the habit or title of a knight ; 
but, wear apparel of a russet colour, till he had served 
three years in the Holy Land. The monastery at Shaftes- 
bury was a nunnery of the Benedictine order, at the 
time of its institution. It was the only one of that order 
in the church of Rome, and gave origin to all the rest. 
Leland says, it was founded by King Ethelbald ; and 
that his brothers, Ethelbert, Ethelred, and Alfred, were 
all considered as founders. Asser Menevensis, who lived 
about this time, says that ' Alfred founded, by the east 
* gate of Sceftasburg, a monastery for nuns, wherein he 
' placed, as abbess, his own daughter ^thelgeof.' 

In Doomesday Book, we have this account of the 



I 



53 

town : — <^ In Borgo Sceptesberie, tern Reg. Edw. were 
" 104 houses in the King's demesne. This veil gelded 
" for 20 hides ; viz. two marks of silver to the king's 
^^ huscarles. Here were three minters, each of which 
" paid one mark of silver, and 20 shillings when money 
" was coined. Here are now 66 houses, 88 having been 
<« destroyed from the time of Hugh, the Sheriff, to the 
" present In that part of the town belonging to the 
«' Abbess T. R. E. were 158 houses, now but 111, 47 
*' being destroyed. She had here 156 burgesses, 20 
" empty dwelling houses, and one garden, val. GSs.*" 

^tUait-^aj} er^^ The acquisition of these docu- 
ments, which, as connected with our history, may be con- 
sidered as invaluable, was made under the following 
circumstances :— It is only a few years ago that their 
existence was ascertdned, by Mr Watson, a Scotch gentle- 
man, having had the good fortune to discover them at 
Rome. M. Cosarini, the Auditor of the Pope, was the 
executor of Cardinal York, the last male descendant of 
James II. The executor did not long survive the Cardinal; 
and his successor, M. Jassoni, became his representative as 
executor of the Cardinal York. To M. Jassoni, then, ap- 



plication was made for leave to examine the papers. It 
was granted ; and the purchase of them for an inconsi- 
derable sum, soon followed. Their incalculable importance 
soon became known ; as Mr Watson considered himself 
under no necessity of conceahng the value of property 
bought from a competent vender. But, under a despotic 
government, right is no protection. The archives of the 
Stuarts were seized, by an order of the papal gove rn- 
ment, in the apartments of the proprietor. The Koman 
government, on reflection, saw that the measures which 
it had adopted could not be justified, and, in this di- 
lemma, it sought refuge in the expedient of offering the 
property to the Prince Regent of England as a present. 
The British government, however, wisely recognised Mr 
Watson's right in these memorable papers, and agreed 
with him for the purchase of them. They have since 
been pubHshed by his Majesty's directions. 

iL0tttVtC)^4 If the antiquity of a practice could 
justify its existence, lotteries might claim peculiar reve- 
rence. The Romans, we are told, used to enliven their 
Saturnaha with them, by distributing tickets, all of which 
gained some prize. Augustus instituted lotteries, that 



55 

consisted, however, of things of little value. Nero also 
established lotteries, for the people, in which 1,000 tickets 
were daily distributed, and several of those who were 
favoured by fortune got rich by them. The first lottery 
of which we find any record in our annals, was in the 
year 1569, which, according to Stowe, consisted of 40,000 
lots, at 10s. each. The prizes were plate ; and the pro- 
fits were to be applied to the purpose of repairing the 
havens of the kingdom. This lottery was drawn at the 
west door of St PauPs cathedral ; and began on the 1 Ith 
July, 1569, and continued incessantly, day and night, 
till the 6th May following. The tickets were three years 
in being disposed of. In the year 1612, King James 
granted a lottery to promote the plantation of English 
colonies in Virginia, which was also drawn at St PauPs. 



ISOllmg to BtatJ* one Rouse, who had at- 
tempted to poison Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who was 
afterwards murdered in his 77th year, (by Henry VIII.) 
— was actually boiled to death in Smithfield, for his 
offence. The law which thus punished him, was after- 
wards repealed. 



56 



(BViQin Ot MnV^iUQ. The Dandies and 
Exquisites of the present day, may be amused with the 
following extract from old Stowe, respecting the intro- 
duction, into England, of this now indispensable luxury. 
It is a subject that merits to be treated with historical 
dignity. What would a ball room be ? — what would 
the beaux of Almack's, Bond-Street, or Princes Street, 
become without starch ? 

'* In the year 1564, Mistris Dinghan Van den Plasse, 
'* born at Haerlem, in Flaunders, daughter to a worship- 
<' ful Knight of that province, with her husband, came 
" to London, for their better safeties, and there pro- 
" fessed herself a starcher, wherein she excelled; unto 
'' whom her own nation presently repaired, and paid her 
«' very liberally for her own worke. Some very few dam- 
*' sels, and most curious wives of that time, observing the 
*' neatnesse of the Dutch, Jbr whitenesse and fine wearing 
" qfUnen, made their cambricJce ruffs, and sent them to 
" Mistris Dinghan to starche **** and then they began 
" to send their daughters and nearest kinswomen to 
" Mistris Dinghan, to learne how to starche.'''' 



Sfv 



.^{iCtfiOtltt* Dorsetshire, was of great note and 
antiquity in the Saxon age, when it was called Scirehurn ; 
from the Saxon words scire, clear, and burn, a spring 
or fountain. The celebrated Asser Menevensis, who wrote 
the life of Alfred, and assisted him in his Hterary pur- 
suits, was Bishop of Sherborne. In the year 1 075, the 
See was removed to Old Sarum. In the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth, the manor of Sherborne was granted to the 
celebrated -Sir Walter Raleigh ; but, after his attainder, 
the manor passed from his family to Robert Carr, Earl 
of Somerset, on whose conviction of being accessary to 
the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, it was granted to 
Sir John Digby. In the year 1685, twelve persons were 
executed here, for being concerned in the Duke of Mon- 
mouth's rebellion ; and, in 1688, the Prince of Orange 
being here, was joined by the Dukes of Ormond and 
Grafton, Lord Churchill, George, Prince of Denmark, 
and other persons of quality, who deserted King James 
at Salisbury. 

The castle of Sherborne was one of the strongest in 
this part of the kingdom. It was built in form of an oc- 
tagon, was moated round, and, over the moat, were 



m 

several draw-bridges, and, to the north, a subterraneous 
passage into the adjacent valley. Leland says, " the cas- 
tle of Sherebourne is in the east end of the town, upon a 
rocky billet. Roger le Poure, Bishop of Saresbyri, in 
Henry I.'s time, builded this castle, and caste a great 
dyke without it, and made a false mine without the dyke. 
There be four great towers in the castle wall, whereof 
one is the gate-house. Every of them hath three lod- 
gyngs yn height. The great lodgying is in the middle 
of the castle court, very strong and full of vaulters. 
There be few peaces of worke in England of the antiqui- 
ty of this, that standeth so whole and well couched. 
One Bishop Langton made, of late tyme, a new peace of 
worke, and lodgyngs of stone at the west end of the haul : 
other peaces of memorable work was none since the first 
building. There is a chapel in a little close without the 
castle, by est. There lyeth at the end of the castle a 
moat, that sometime hath been much larger than it is 
now." 

In the civil wars, this castle was one of the first that 
was formally besieged by the parliament, and was among 
the very last that held out for the King. It was at 
Length reduced by the parHamentary forces, under Sir 



59 

Lewis Dives, an active and resolute general, in August, 
1645, after a siege of 16 days. On the 16th August, 
the soldiers kept a great market with their booty. The 
parliament du-ected the castle to be demolished ; an or- 
der which was complied with in October following. 

CStl^tina^ Bag, from the Latin, Christi Mis^ 
sa, the Mass of Christ. About the year 500, the obser- 
vance of this day became general in the Catholic church . 
Much of the festivity of this season, which formerly 
gladdened the hearts of the old and yonng, has now dis- 
appeared ; a refinement of manner, perhaps, little to the 
amendment of the heart, has, in a great measure, abohshed 
the hospitality of our forefathers. In the south of Eng- 
land, little is known of the usages of our ancestors, except 
to professed antiquaries ; but, in the north, we not only 
hear genuine specimens of their language, but, we meet 
with many examples of old English festivity, lovers of 
old English pleasures, as well as freedom ; — lovers of 
manly and rural sports ; of the song and dance ; of so- 
cial intercourse and mutual happiness ; of the Christmas 
carol, and minced pies, which by some is supposed to be 
typical of the offerings of the wise men who came from 



m 

afar, to worship, bringing spices, &c. Indeed, this is 
one of the few observances of our forefathers, that is not 
likely soon to be forgotten ; as, in this respect, our gor- 
mandizing propensities materially assist our memory ! 

The following Christmas carol, is held to be the most 
ancient drinking song now extant : — 

" Lordlings ! from a distant home. 
To seek old Christmas, are we come, 

Who love our minstrelsy : 
And here, unless report mis-say, 
The grey-b^ard dwells ; and on this day 
Keeps yearly wassel, ever gay. 

With festive mirth and glee. 

Lordlings list ! for, we tell you true ; 
Christmas loves the jolly crew. 

That cloudy care defy. 
His liberal board is deeply spread 
With manchet loaves and wastel bread ; 
His guests with fish and flesh are fed, 

Nor lack the stately pie. 



61 

Lordlings ! it is our hosf s command, ^ 
And Christmas joins him hand in hand. 

To drain the brimming bowl ; 
And III be foremost to obey : 
Then pledge me, sirs, and drink away. 
For, Christmas revels here to day. 

And sways without control." 



3tOi)0 WO^tU^* Between two and three centuries 
, it was the custom, as stated in the old chronicles, *« for 
enamoured maydes and gentilwomen " to give to their fa- 
vorite swains, as tokens of their love, little handkerchiefs, 
about three or four inches square, wrought round about, 
often in embroidery, with a button or tassel at each cor- 
ner, and a little one in the centre. The finest of these 
favors were edged with gold lace, or twist ; and then, 
being folded in four cross folds, so that the middle might 
be seen, they were worn by the accepted lovers in their 
hats, or on their breast. Tokens were also given by the 
gentlemen, and accepted by their fair mistresses. They 
are thus described in one of Beaumont and Fletcher's 
plays:— 



63 

*'^ Given ear rings we will wear, 

*' Bracelets of our lover's hair ; 

" Which they on our arms shall twist, 

" (With our names carved) on our wrist." 

COlte^CaiStle, in the Isle of Purbeck. The 
ruin of this once beautiful fabric extends about half a 
mile in circuit ; is of an oval form ; and its walls are twelve 
feet thick. The outer gate is very large, and has a 
round tower on each side. The first ward has towers. 
Passing a second bridge of one arch, you enter the second 
ward, which, probably, was the spot, where the cruel 
murder of King Edward was committed. In this ward 
are the ruins of five towers. The third, and principal 
ward was on the highest part of the hill, where stood 
several buildings now in ruins, built on vaults, for store 
rooms, &c. Here a platform was erected, for five pieces 
of cannon, in 1586. The fourth ward had in it a small 
garden. It is said that in this part of the castle was 
situated the house of Elfrida, the widow of King Edgar, 
who, during her residence here, occasioned the murder of 
her son-in-law, Edward, a transaction, so fully recorded 
by all our historians, as to render any farther notice. 



63 

here superfluous. In the year*1327, the unfortunate Ed- 
ward II. after he had surrendered his crown, was a short 
time confined in this castle ; being removed hither by- 
order of the Queen and Mortimer, from Kenelworth 
castle. He was taken from the latter place, first, to 
Bristol, and, afterwards, to Berkeley castle, suffering all 
the way, every hardship and indignity that the brutal 
temper of his two keepers, Sir John Maltravers, and Sir 
Thomas Gurney, could inflict, in hopes that such fa- 
tigue and ill-treatment would shorten his days. Being 
disappointed, however, in their expectations, they con- 
ducted him to Corfe castle, where he was put to death in 
a most cruel and unheard of manner. No one can view, 
without horror, the dungeons which remain to this hour 
in some of the towers, if he call to mind the diaboli- 
cal cruelty of King John, by whose remorseless order 
twenty-two prisoners, confined there, were inhumanly 
starved to death. Matthew of Paris says that many of 
those men, were among the first of Poitien nobility. 

In the time of Charles I. the lady of Sir John Bankes 
became illustrious, from the gallant manner in which she 
defended this castle against the attacks of the parlia- 
mentary forces. In the years 1645, and 1646, Corfe 



64 

castle was again besieged by the parliamentary army, and 
taken by them, through the treachery of Lieut.-Colonel 
Pitman, an officer of the garrison. Upon this event, the 
parliament ordered the castle to be demolished ; which 
was accordingly done. The ruins are allowed to be the 
noblest and grandest in the kingdom, considering the 
extent of ground on which they stand. The vast frag- 
ments of the King's tower, the round towers leaning as 
if ready to fall, the shattered walls, and vast pieces of 
them fallen down into the vale below, form an awful 
scene of havoc and devastation. 

iLllJCUr^* In former times, there was much eating, 
with httle variety : — at present, on the contrary, there is 
great variety, with more abstemiousness. Barbarous 
nations are fond of large joints of meat. A wild boar was 
roasted whole, as a supper dish of Anthony and Cleopatra; 
and was stuffed with poultry and wild fowl. The hos- 
pitaUty of the Anglo-Saxons was sometimes displayed, 
for instance, by roasting an entire ox. This practice pre- 
vailed even among the Romans : — ^for, it is related that it 
was a favourite dish at Rome ; and was termed a Tro- 
jan boar, in allusion to the Trojan horse. 



William of Malmsbury, who wrote in the time of 
Henry II. says "that the English were universally addict- 
ed to drunkenness; continuing over their cups day and 
night ; keeping open house, and spending the income of 
their estates in riotous feasts ; where eating and drinking 
were carried to excess, without any elegance.*" Hollin- 
shed, writing of Henry VTH.'s time, says, "heretofore, 
there hath been much more time spent in eating and 
drinking, than commonly is in these days ; for, whereas, 
of old, we had breakfasts in the forenoon, beverages or 
muncheons after dinner, and thereto rear-suppers, when 
it was time to go to rest ; now, these odd repasts, thanked 
be God, are very well left, and each one contenteth him- 
self with dinner and supper only.*" He remarks, " that 
claret and other French wines, were despised, and only 
strong wines in request. The best," he says, " were to 
be found in monasteries ; for, the merchant would have 
thought his soul would go straightway to the devil, if he 
should serve monks with other than the best."*' 

In early times, the people were very plain in their 
household furniture. At the beginning of the 16th cen- 
tury, substantial farmers slept on a straw pallet, with a 
log of wood to rest their head on— a pillow being only 

F 



e6 

thought fit for a woman in child-bed ! Indeed, if a man, 
in the course of seven years after marriage, could pur- 
vhase a flock bed, and a sack of chaff, as a substitute for 
a bolster, he thought himself as well lodged as the lord of 
the town. Wooden trenchers and wooden spoons were 
generally used about the same period, pewter vessels 
being accounted great luxuries, and prohibited from being 
hired, except on Christmas, Easter, St George''s day, 
and Whitsunday. 

By an act of parliament in Scotland, passed in the 
year 1429, none were permitted to wear silks, or costly 
furs, but Knights and Lords of 200 merks yearly rent. 
But^ by another act, of 1457, the same dress was permit- 
ted to aldermen, bailies, and other good worthy men 
within burgh ; and, by a third act, it was granted to 
gentlemen of jB.lOO yearly rent. As strongly illus- 
trating the singular manners of the time, the following 
anecdote i& related :— James I. British monarch, was, 
during his infancy, committed to the Dowager Countess 
of Mar, who had been educated in France. On one oc- 
casion, the King being seized with a colic during the 
night time, his household servants flew to his bed-cham- 
ber ; but, the women as well as men were in a complete 



67 

state of nudity, nay, even the Countess herself wore no- 
thing but her chemise ! 

HolUnshed exclaims against the luxury and effeminacy 
that prevailed in his time. " In times past,'' says he, 
" men were contented to dwell in houses builded of sallow, 
willow, plumb-tree, or elm ; so that the use of oak, was de- 
dicated to churches, religious houses, princes' palaces, no- 
blemen's lodgings, and navigation. But, now, these are 
rejected, and nothing but oak any whit regarded. And 
yet, see the change ; for, when our houses were builded 
of willow, then, had we oaken men ; but, now that our 
houses are made of oak, our men are not only become 
willow, but, many, through Persian delicacy crept in 
among us, altogether of straw, which is a sore alter- 
ation." 

ffil^tOrg (0nSll£i6* The reign of Henry VII. 
affords a field of much speculation. To his regulations 
and policy, may be traced the unlimited power exercised by 
the Tudors, and the liberties wrested afterwards happily 
from the Stuart family ; so that although tyranny was the 
immediate effect, liberty was the ultimate result. The ge- 
neral improvement in all arts of civil Hfe in the succeeding 



as 



fifty years, a period of tranquillity, and of literature in 
particular, were causes sufficient to produce eJfFects of the 
utmost importance. 

There is not a more fertile period of our history, than 
that between the year 1640, and the death of Charles 
II. We may view the kingdom under almost every va- 
riety of circumstances. Religious dispute ; political 
contest, in all its forms and degrees, from the honest 
exertions of party, to the corrupt intrigues of faction, 
violence, and civil war ; despotism, first, in the person of 
an usurper, and afterwards, in that of an hereditary King ; 
the most memorable and salutary improvement of the 
laws ; the most abandoned administration of them ; in 
fine, whatever can happen to a nation, whether glorious, 
or calamitous, makes a part of this astonishing and in- 
structive picture. 

(iTOffliltSSt of stone, were sometimes used by the 
Romans, and frequently by the Anglo-Saxons. From 
the Saxons to the reign of Henry VIII., stone coffins 
appear to have been very generally made use of in all 
parts of England.— Coffins made of lead, and of wood, 
are also believed to have been employed by the Romans 



69 

in Britain, and by the Anglo-Saxons. But, the earliest 
recorded instance of the use of a wooden coffin, in this 
country, is that of King Arthur, as noticed by Giraldus ; 
who describes it as having consisted of the entire trunk 
of an oak, hollowed to receive the body. In some few 
instances, stone coffins have been used much later than 
Henry VIII.'s reign. Sir William Dugdale and his 
lady are buried in stone coffins, each composed of two 
pieces. 

S^UrjJ^ Trial by. At what period it was first in- 
troduced into the English laws, cannot now be exactly 
ascertained, although it is certainly referable to the Sax- 
on aera. Its origin may be traced to a principle in use 
at a very early date. When a man was accused of any 
crime, it was a judicial custom of the Saxons, that he 
might clear himself, if he could procure a certain number 
of persons to swear that they believed him guiltless of the 
allegation. These persons, so produced, were called com- 
purgators, and the veredictum, sworn to by them, so far 
determined the case as to acquit the prisoner. That the 
trial by jury existed at the time of the conquest, is not 
disputed. 



70 



(iiSbtmlltU, a tenure of lands, supposed to be 
the most important Druidical legal remains. It exists 
principally in the county of Kent. The distinguishing 
properties of this tenure, are, that the tenant is of age to 
alienate his estate, at fifteen ; that the estate does not 
escheat in case of execution for felony ; and that the 
lands descend not to any one son only, but to all the 
sons together ; a course of descent formerly the most 
usual throughout the whole of England. 

CrttaC and iSrtgaC The differences between 
the Celtse, or original colonists of Britain, and the Belgse, 
was not great. They both constructed their edifices in the 
same manner, used the same stated pieces of brass or 
iron bullion for money, had the same fondness for keep- 
ing poultry and hares about their houses, and the same 
aversion to seeing them on their table. Both nations 
painted their bodies ; both threw off their clothes in the 
hour of battle ; suffered the hair of their heads to grow 
to a great length ; shaved all but the upper lip ; had 
wives in common ; and prosecuted their wars on the 
same principles. The only distinction between them was 



71 

one, which, after all, in reality, constituted no actual' 
difference, in their manners, namely, that the Celtae, [or 
Britons, being dislodged from that side of the island which 
was immediately contiguous to Gaul and Spain, and the 
only part of it that was visited by foreign traders, were 
no longer able to pursue the foreign commerce which 
they had previously carried on, and were obliged to re- 
sign it up to the Belgas. 

<0tOn College, was founded by King Henry 
VIII. in 1440, for the maintenance of a provost, ten 
priests, four clerks, six choristers, twenty-five poor gram- 
mar scholars, and twenty-five poor men. At present, 
however, there are seldom less than 300 scholars here, 
besides those on the foundation. The annual revenue 
of this pubUc school is little less than ^£^.5000. The 
scholars, after being three years at King's college, Cam- 
bridge, are entitled to a fellowship. 

^lUernt31T» in the Saxon acceptation, implied a 
person proper to assist his Prince with his advice, as a 
privy counsellor. The three estates of the kingdom 
were divided into Atheling, which included the nobili- 



72 

ty ; Alderman, the second rank ; and Thane, the last- 
In Athelstan's time, the term Earl, or Count, was first 
instituted. 

^UitinQi^ is one of the Cinque ports, and not- 
ed for being the place where William the Conqueror 
landed. Near the town, in 1066, was fought the most 
memorable battle in the annals of this country, between 
Harold II. King of England, and William, Duke of 
Normandy, in which the former lost his life and king- 
dom. Of the Normans, there fell nearly 15,000 men ; 
and a much greater number of the English were killed 
in the pursuit. Hastings was formerly obliged to fit out 
21 ships for the King's service, within 40 days after notice, 
and to maintain the respective crews at the charge of the 
town, 14 days after which, the expenses of their ships 
were to be defrayed by the King. 



(!P)Cf Ij^t, the duty of, was first granted to King 
Charles II., in 1660, for his life, in England and Wales ; 
and has been continued by parliament ever since, and 
extended to Scotland. This tax is so hateful to Eng^ 



73 

lishmen, that the common exclamation is still used, 
' Liberty, property, and no excise.' 

SOlUlllirciU^, an order of monks, called in 
France, Jacobins, and, in England, Black Friars, or 
Preaching Friars. This order, founded by St Dominic, 
a native of Spain, was approved of by Innocent III. 
in 1215. 

^tiJitl^tVQf in Germany, has a celebrated Uni- 
versity, the library of which was rifled by Marshal Tilly, 
and the M. S. conveyed to Italy ; amongst which, was 
St Chrysostom's Epistle to Caesarius, opposing the doc- 
trine of transubstantiation. 

G^JCfOmmUttlCatlOn, a penalty, or censure, 
whereby persons guilty of any notorious crime, are sepa- 
rated from the church, is of very ancient origin. It was the 
most rigorous punishment inflicted by the Druids, among 
the Gauls, as we learn by this passage in Caesar, lib. 6. 
« When a man," says he, (speaking of the Druids,) " will 
not submit to their judgment, they exclude him from 
partaking of their mysteries. And those who are struck 



74 

with this thunderboh, are accounted wicked and impious 
men ; every one shuns their meeting and conversation ; 
if they have any business, they have no justice done them ; 
they are not allowed to possess any office, or dignity ; 
and die without honour and reputation." 

In the ancient Christian church, the consequences of 
excommunication were very terrible. The person ex- 
communicated, was avoided in all outward civil commerce 
and conversation. No one was to receive him into his 
house, or eat at the same table with him ; and, when 
dead, he was denied the solemn rite of burial. In the 
present day, excommunication disables a person from 
doing any judicial act ; such, for instance, as suing in 
an action at law ; being a witness, &c. 



^linSn^^^ in Spain, famous for a defeat sustained 
here by the English and Portuguese, 25th April, 1707, 
in which they lost 6000 prisoners, besides a great num- 
ber killed and wounded. The enemy were commanded 
by the Duke of Berwick, natural son of James II. who, 
by the gallantry of the Irish Brigade, turned the left 
flank of the Allies. 



75 

?ierrUlaiTeiim, an ancient city of Italy, near 
Naples, totally destroyed by an eruption of Mount Ve- 
suvius, A. D. 79. In the years 1689, and 1711, some 
traces of this city were discovered ; and, in 1713, some 
labourers, diging for a well, struck upon a statue on the 
benches of a theatre. In 1738, fresh attempts were 
made ; and, since that time, a prodigious number of mo- 
numents of every kind have been discovered, such as 
paintings, statues, busts, furniture, utensils, &c. and a 
great number of manuscripts, some of which have been 
enrolled. The city lies at the depth of from 70, to 112 
feet from the surface. 

iSaUt)* The lawyer^s band was first used under 
James I. ; the clergyman's, with the puritan'^s, under 
Cromwell. The gown and cassock were introduced in 
Charles II.'s reign. 

JPtrStluV^, comprehends the knowledge of what 
relates to solemn cavalcades, and ceremonies of corona- 
tions, the creation of peers, nuptials, funerals, &c. as 
well as to the bearing of arms; the assigning of those 
that belong to each particular individual ; the regulating 



76 

of their right and precedence in point of honour. The 
institution of heralds in Scotland is not traced to an ear- 
lier period than the close of the 14th century ; and, 
with respect to the jurisdiction and powers exercised by 
the Lyon and his brethren, nothing is known till the 16th 
century ; of which time, the original register or matricu- 
lation-book of the armorial bearings of the nobility and 
barons of Scotland is still extant, by Sir David Lindsay, 
then Lyon king at arms. The first legislative act that 
bestowed upon the Lord Lyon a jurisdiction in matters 
of arras, is, the statute of 1592, c. 127 ; and, by another 
statute of 1672, c. 21. all persons bearing arms, are 
enjoined to send them within a year to Lyon king at 
arms, that he might distinguish the same with suitable 
differences, and register them ; and, also, declares that he 
may give arms to virtuous and well-disposed persons. 
Lion's office in Scotland, and Ulster king of arms of Ire- 
land are distinct and independent of the Heralds' college 
of London, but which from its priority of time, and im- 
portance, is often caQed upon to sanction their grants. 

^I(il£it3tlt« A bishopric in Franconia, celebrated 
for a curious piece of workmanship, called the sun of 



77 

the holy sacrament. It is composed of massy gold, of great 
weight, and is enriched with 350 diamonds, 1400 pearls, 
250 rubies, and other precious stones. 

dSiX^inttY* This word is of modern date in Eng- 
land, and was first used about the year 1650, when, one 
Captain Thomas Rudd had the title of Chief-Engineer to 
the King. In 1600, the title given to engineers, was. 
Trench-masters ; and, in 1622, Sir William Pellam, and 
after him. Sir Francis Vere, acted as Trench-masters in 
Flanders. In the year 1634, an engineer was called 
Camp -master-general, and, sometimes. Engine-master ; 
being always subordinate to the Master-general of the 
Ordnance. 

wtjCp^^lW, in Northumberland. Its church, which 
contains many ancient tombs, bears considerable marks 
of Saxon grandeur ; and it was formerly famous for an 
abbey. On the screen, at the entrance of the choir, are 
some strange monastic paintings, called the dance of 
death. Hexham is believed to have been formerly a 
Roman station, and the neighbourhood abounds with 
speculative matter for an antiquary 



78 

(SrUS^t^U^ This word is very ancient, being used 
by the Greeks as well as Romans, both in their foot and 
horse. The common ensign of the Roman legion was an 
eagle of gold, or silver, fixed on the top of a spear, grasping, 
and, as it were, hurling a thunderbolt from its talons. 
Xenophon informs us that the royal ensign of Cyrus, was 
a golden eagle, spread over a shield, and fastened on a 
spear ; and that the same was still used among the Per- 
sian Kings. 

j^gty C, one of the Cinque ports. There is a very 
remarkable pile of dry bones in this town, 28 feet long, 
6 feet broad, and 8 high. They are preserved in a vault 
under the church, like books in a library, and consist of 
several thousand heads, arms, legs, thigh bones, &c. some 
of which are of a gigantic size ; and appear by an in- 
scription, to be the remains of the Danes and Britons, 
killed in a battle near this place. 

^liJ0 Ox ItSiltU^^ was such a quantity of land as 
might be ploughed with one plough, within the compass of 
a year, or so much as would maintain a family. Some call 
it 60, some 80, and some, 100 acres. 



79 

(SVf in the middle, or end of words, especially those 
which signify the names of places, comes from wer, or were, 
(Sax.) a man, and signifies, when joined to common 
nouns, an agent, or, when joined to appellatives, or the 
names of places, an inhabitant. Thus, singer, from sing 
and er, or wer, (Saxon) a man, denotes a singing man. 
Londoner, from London, and er, or wer, (Sax.) a man, 
signifies a native, or inhabitant of London. 

ll^Oltt either at the beginning or end of the name of 
a place, signifies that it is, or has been, a wood — holt 
being the Saxon term for a wood. — Sometimes it may 
come from hoi, (Sax.) hollow, especially when the name 
ends in turn and dum. 

W^IK5 tUii^ is noted for several remains of old forti- 
fications, one of which, called Turris Munimentum, is 
an old stone wall, with a small turret on its centre. There 
are also some Druidical antiquities in its neighbourhood. 
Under the mountains that overhang the town, is a large 
cavern in the rock, supported by natural pillars, and 
called the parliament house. It is accessible only by boats, 
and the tide runs into it. 



80 



0^\Ot^tVU^ Shropshire. Before the reign of Ed- 
ward I. this part of England was termed the Marshes, 
debatable lands, and hunting grounds ; and was governed, 
like those of Scotland, bj a Lord Warden, who was here 
more generally styled Lord President ; kept his court at 
Ludlow castle; and, down to the reign of Charles IL, 
lived in a state of splendour little inferior to royalty. 
Though national contention had long since ceased, this 
officer was still considered as absolutely necessary to quell 
petty disturbances, and to adjust trifling differences, such 
as frequently occurred in consequence of the quarrels, 
that arose at drinking and hunting parties. 

Wi^l)tn tnan^ a "^nig^t anlr Mvon "bol^, 

TOtl^OjS^ namc& iarnc'^ am^U li^t envoUctn, 
i^^j^o^crjt t^eiv ^U^e^ to ^tetft^* 

This town was formerly called Maserfield ; and was a 
place of great consequence in the time of the Saxons. 
It is situated on an eminence, between Wans and Offa's 
dyke, which run parallel with one another, at about two 



81 

miles distance, and are vestiges of that cautionary de- 
fence, which the ferocity of the times once required. 

On an artificial mount at the outside of the town, are 
the remains of a castie, now httle more than a confused 
heap of rubbish. " The Britons and Saxons," observes 
Penant, " gave to their fortresses this species of elevation.'' 
The Normans, when using their own discretion, were by 
far the best castle-builders. They erected their edi- 
fices on the firm and natural soil of the earth, or rock. 
After the execution of Edmond, Earl of Arundel, in the 
reign of Edward II. the Queen obtained the grant of 
Oswestry castle, for Mortimer, a nobleman for whom she 
had a great partiality. 

COniS!60rOUfl6 €U^tlt, situated about five 
miles from Doncaster, is one of the most ancient, and, also, 
most perfect remains of antiquity in the kingdom. The 
earliest mention that has been found concerning it, proves 
it to have been a fortress of Hengist, the Saxon general. 
In the year 487, Aurelius Ambrosius defeated Hengist, 
and forced him to take refuge in this castle , and, after- 
wards, in 489, again defeated him, took him prisoner, 
and beheaded him at the northern gate of the citadel* 



82 

Near the entrance to the castle, is a tumuhis, supposed 
to be the tomb of Hengist. William the Conqueror 
gave this castle, with all its privileges, &c. to William 
de Warren; and, in the reign of King Edward III. 
John, Earl of Warren, gave it to his mistress, Maud de 
Nereford. It was afterwards the property of Richard, 
Duke of , York, who was named De Conmgsburgh, be- 
cause he was born here. Through his son. King Edward 
IV. it remained with the crown, till James II. granted it 
to Lord Dover. It now belongs to the Duke of Leeds. 
The strong keep, or tower, is almost entire, although 
more than 1300 years have elapsed since it was erected. 

iinifl^tSS of Wiinti^OV, This order, or in- 
stitution, was founded by King Edward III. " from the 
*' great regard he had to military honour, and those 
*' who had bravely behaved themselves in the wars, yet, 
" after, chanced to fall to decay," being a provision for 
their relief and comfortable subsistance. The stated num- 
ber, at first, was 24 ; but, shortly afterwards, upon his 
instituting the order of the Garter, two more were added. 
Henry VIII. settled lands and manors upon them. Ed- 
ward VIII, also, in the first year of his reign, bestowed 



8S 

several lands on the institution ; and, in the reign of 
Philip and Mary, buildings for their residence within the 
castle were commenced ; and, on Elizabeth coming to 
the crown, she completed the buildings, and confirmed 
her sister'^s grants. She also made several statutes and 
ordinances in their favour, which still remain in force, and 
by which, the number was limited to thirteen Knights of 
Windsor ; it was likewise ordered that, for the future, none 
should be admitted unless he were a gentleman by birth. 
The present establishment consists of eighteen military, 
and seven naval Knights. Their income is somewhat 
less than £.50 a. year : But, they are allowed a good 
house. They are appointed by the Secretary of State for 
the Home Department. The only duty required of them, 
is, to attend in St George''s chapel, during divine service, 
once every day for four months in the year, or pay a 
fine of Is. 8d. unless prevented by bad health. 

Jlgme, or iLfitttt aeieSlSi, Dorsetslilre. The 
liberties of a haven and borough were granted to this 
town by Edward I. In the reign of Edward III. it 
furnished four ships, and 62 mariners, for the siege of 
Calais. During the civil wars, in the reign of Charles 



84 

I. the siege of Lyme was one of the most remarkable 
that occurred, for the obstinacy of its defence. It was at 
this place that the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth land^ 
ed, in the year 1685. 

JSlOman ^tntiOn&. The proofs of a Roman 
station are to be derived from a Roman name, remains 
of the buildings, tiles, bricks, or mosaic pavements of 
that people ; or, their coins, especially if preserved in 
urns, in which those of the latest date will nearly indi- 
cate the period at which they were concealed. To these 
indications we may also add the words, Chester, Burgh, 
and Sratton, and any affinity between the Roman and 
Saxon names, either in sound, or sense : For the Saxons 
generally built on Roman foundations. The situation, 
also, ought to be attentively considered ; if, for instance, 
it be on, or near a Roman road, or near the confluence of 
two rivers, with which they particularly delighted. We 
are likewise to remember that there were the Castra 
stativi^ or mnter quarters ; and, consequently, the Castra 
cestwc6, or summer quarters, are to be expected in the 
same neighbourhood ; as we find at Maiden-castle, near 
Dorchester ; Woodbury-hill, near Bere-Regis ; and 



Badbury, near Winburn. These stations were formed', 
and the roads, carried forward, in proportion as the' 
Romans extended their conquests. 

Slfi&Ot^btirg, Dorsetshire. This name is deriv- 
ed from an ancient abbey, founded by Orcusor Arkeis, 
Stewart to Canute, the Dane, for secular canons ; but, in 
the reign of Edward the Confessor, they were removed, 
and Benedictines placed in their stead ; who remained 
undisturbed till the general dissolution of monasteries, in 
the reign of Henry VIII. The abbey stood parallel 
with the present parish church, on a rising ground. 
South of the town, is a large gate-house, on the side of 
which, is a portal, where the last abbot is said to have' 
been confined, and starved to death. Near this gate, to 
the left, is another large gate, by which you enter the 
precincts of the monastery. 

Ancient MmintV^ of the Italians. About 
the year 1238, the food of the Italians was \'ery mo- 
derate, or, rather, scanty. The common people had 
meat only three times a week. Their dinner consisted 
of pot-herbs, boiled with meat ; their supper, the cold 



86 

meat left from dinner. The husband and wife eat out 
of the same dish ; and they had but one or two cups in 
the house. They had no candles made of wax or tallow ; 
but, a torch, held by one of the children, or a servant, 
gave them light at supper. The men, whose chief pride 
was in their arms and horses, wore caps made with iron 
scales, and cloaks of leather, without any other covering. 
The women wore jackets ofstuflP, with gowns of linen, 
and their head-dresses were very simple. Those who 
possessed a very small sum of money, were thought rich ; 
and the homely dress of the women required only small 
marriage portions. The nobles were proud of living in 
towers ; and thence, the cities were filled with those for- 
tified dwellings. 

3BOi*(5(^t0l*t is supposed to have received its 
name from the Saxons, by whom it was called Doncaster, 
from the British Dun, or Dwyr, which signifies water, 
and the Saxon Cheste?-, a corruption from the Roman 
Castrum, a camp. The ancient walls ; the Via Jceniana, 
on which it stands ; the several diverging roads that issue 
from it; the coins and other pieces of antiquity found here; 
all prove it to have been a place of great consideration 



87 

with the Romans. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 
several popish priests were executed here ; and, inlG85, 
it was the theatre of the cruelties of the infamous Judge 
Jefferies. 

Of St Peter's church in this town, the following tra- 
ditionary lines have been handed down, as having oiKe 
been inscribed on its walls -. — 

" Geoffery Van 
With his wife Ann 
And his maid Nan 
Built this church."" 

•#antt IBagl^^ The heathens were delighted 
with the festivals of their gods, and were unwilling to 
part with those ceremonies ; therefore, the first christian 
teachers, to facilitate their conversion, instituted an- 
nual festivals to the Saints and Martyrs; hence, the 
keeping of Christmas with joy, feasting, plays, and 
sports, in place of the Bacchanalia, and Saturnalia; 
the celebrating May-day with flowers, in room of the 
Floralia ; and the festivals of the Virgin Mary, John 
the Baptist, and other apostles, instead of the solemnities 



as 

observed at the entrance of the sun into the signs of the 
Zodiac, in the old Julian calendar. 

^OV&t^^ The different sorts of horses in use 
among the nobility and others, may be collected from 
the following entry in the Northumberland household- 
book , first printed in the year 1768. It is entitled the 
regulations and establishment of Algernon Percy, the 
Earl of Northumberland, 1512. 

'' This is the ordre of the chequir roul of the nom- 
'' bre of all the horsys of my lordis and my ladys, that 
*' are apoynted to be in the charge of the hous yerely, 
'* as to say, gentill hors, palfreys, hobys, naggis, cloth - 
'* sek hors. 

*' First, gentill hors, to stand in my lordis stable, six. 
*^ Item, palfreys of my ladys, to wit, one for my lady, 
*' and two for her gentiU-women, and oone for her cham- 
^^ berer. Four hobys and naggis for my lordis oone 
** saddiU, viz. oone for my lorde to ride, oone to led for 
'* my lorde, and oone to stay at home for my lorde. 
'* Item, chariot hors to stand in my lordis stable yerely : 
" Seven great trottynge hors to draw in the chariott, and 
" a nagg for the chariott-man to ryde, eight. Again, 



S9 

** hors for my lorde Percy, his lordis sonne. A great 
" doble trottynge hors to travel on in winter. Item, do- 
" ble trottynge hors, called a curtal, for his lordship to 
" ryde on out of townes. Another trottynge gambal- 
" dyn hors, for his lordship to ride upon when he comes 
'' into townes. An amblynge hors, for his lordship to 
'' journey on daily. A proper amblyng little nag, for his 
*' lordship when he gaeth on hunting or hawkin. A gret 
" amblynge gelding to carry his male." 

The gentill horse was one of superior breed, so called 
in contrast to such as were of ordinary extraction. 

Palfreys, were an elegant and easy sort of horses, 
used upon common occasions by Knights, and others, who 
reserved their great and managed horses for battle and 
the tournament. 

Hohys, were strong, active horses, of rather a small 
size. They are said to be originally natives of Ireland. 

Nags, were of the same description. 

Clothseck, was a cloak-bag horse ; as a male horse was 
one that carried the portmantua. Horses to draw the 
chariots, were waggon horses; from the French word 
charrette, whence, the Enghsh word cart 

A great doble trottynge horse, was a tall, broad horse , 



90 

whose best pace was the trot, being* too unwieldy to be 
able to gallop. 

A curtail was a horse whose tail was cut, or shortened. 

A gamhaldynge horse, was one of shew and parade ; 
a managed horse. 

An amhlynge horse, received this appeUation, from 
the ease and smoothness of its pace. In former times, 
almost all saddle horses were broke to perform it. 



H^ntutlO^ Hertfordshire. This manor was in pos- 
session of the Saxon monarchs, till King Edgar gave it 
to the monks of Ely. William de Hatfield, second son 
of King Edward III. was bom in this town, in the year 
1335 ; and both King Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth, 
were conducted from the royal palace of Hatfield, to take 
possession of the throne. The Bishop of Ely sold the 
manor to Queen Elizabeth ; but, King James I. on his 
accession to the throne of England, having slept one 
night at Theobald's, the mansion of Sir Robert Cecil, 
the youngest son of the great Lord Burleigh, was so 
struck with the beauties of the place, that he obtained it 
of Sir Robert in exchange for Hatfield. 



91 



Cental of %Uliii&' in the reign of James I. 
estates in England sold for no more than 14 years pur- 
chase. The rental of all England was computed at about 
10 millions a year; and the value of all the landed property 
at 140 millions. Interest of money was 10 per cent, at 
this time. In the year 1668, the average rent of lands 
in England, was computed to be 6s. 2d. per acre. In 
1812, the whole surface of England and Wales was reck- 
oned at 17s. 2d. per acre ; Leicester and Somerset — (the 
most fertile, Middlesex excepted) — were calculated at 28s. 
per acre ; and the total rental of land in England and 
Wales, amounted to £.29,476,852, 

^0Ual iLab)^« Hanging is a punishment, says 
Sir William Dugdale, as ancient as King Ina. William 
the Conqueror did not, however, adopt this legal penal- 
ty in his code of penal laws, but, made use of more 
severe punishments, such as cutting off the hands and 
feet, putting out the eyes, emasculation, &c. Beheading 
criminals of rank, was first introduced in the eighth year 
of his reign. Hanging was first used as a punishment 
for theft and robbery, under Henry I. To kill a stag. 



92 

was as criminal as to murder a man. False coining was 
a very common crime in this reign ; and nearly fifty cri- 
minals were, at one time, hanged, or mutilated, for it 
There is a code, which passes under the name of Henry 
I., but, the genuineness of which is doubted. It is, how- 
ever, a very ancient compilation, and not a little instruc- 
tive with respect to the manners and customs of those 
times. Henry granted a charter to London, which seems 
to have been the first step towards rendering that city 
a corporation. By this charter, they were empowered 
to hold the farm of Middlesex at ifi'.SOO a year ; and 
many other privileges were granted them. Henry II. 
enacted severe penalties against robbery, murder, false 
coining, and burning houses. The pecuniary commuta- 
tion for crimes — a false and preposterous lenity — appears 
to have been entirely abolished at this time. The super- 
stitious trial by water ordeal, still subsisted, however, 
although Henry ordained that any man accused of 
murder, or heinous felony, by the oath of the legal 
Knights of the shire, should, even although acquitted by 
the ordeal, be obliged to abjure the realm. Trial by duel, 
or battle, was still allowed ; but, either of the parties was 
admitted to challenge trial by an assize, or jury of twelve 



m 

freeholders, which method of trial seems to have been 
very ancient in England, and was fixed by the laws of 
King Alfred. In the reign of King John, justice was so 
much corrupted, that even the Barons of the Exchequer 
were not ashamed to insert in their records that the 
county of Norfolk, paid a sum that they might be fairly 
dealt with ; as likewise the borough of Yarmouth, with 
many more instances. (See Madox's history of the Ex- 
chequer.) In this age, two dogs suffered death, for 
assaulting one of the lions in the Tower, on the princi- 
ple of its being treason against royalty ! 

23ltttlCl* titt 2SlO£j0. This expression arose from 
the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster, 
called the contention betwixt the two Roses. In this 
conflict, the opposite adherents wore, as badges, the cogni- 
zance of their different parties. They swore by the red, 
or the white rose ; and these opposite emblems were dis- 
played as the signs of two taverns ; one of which was by 
the side of, and the other opposite to, the Parliament-house 
in Old Palace Yard, Westminster. Here the retainers and , 
servants of the noblemen attached to the Duke of York, 
and Henry VI. used to meet. Here, also, as distur- 



94 

bances were frequent, measures, either of defence, or 
annoyance, were taken, and every transaction was said to 
be done under the Rose ; by which expression, the most 
profound secrecy was imphed. 

vE'OKCn^S* In the year 1653, private persons had 
the hberty of coining pennies, halfpennies, and farthings, 
with their own device upon them, for the convenience of 
trade. Tokens issued by cities or villages, generally ex- 
pressed the name of the place, and value of the piece, on 
one side, and, on the other, the arms of the city or town, 
or some other device. When, however, they were coined 
by private individuals, they expressed the town, or street, 
where the proprietors lived, together with their sign 
or trade. They were of different sizes and forms ; and 
in general, shamefully light. They continued current 
till the year 1672, when the King's copper half-pence and 
farthings took place of them. 

i33rtl£i« After the fall of the Druids, there arose 
amongst the British this order of men; but, whether 
before the mission of Melitus, and the consequent con- 
version of the Saxons by him and his associates, has been 



95 

doubted. By becoming the historians and minstrels of 
their country, they obtained as powerful an influence 
over the people, as had been exercised by their prede- 
cessors. Their learning, ingenuity, and sacred character, 
for, they exercised the ofRce of religious ministration, 
rendered them of the utmost importance with the people. 
Though the Druids never departed from theological so- 
lemnity, the Bards frequently mingled secular, and even 
convivial aspirations with the music of their lyre, and 
by that means rendered their influence over the passions 
of the people unbounded. 

^OPttlSttOtt OF Europe. Britain most proba- 
bly received its first population from the opposite coast of 
Gaul; Iceland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden are of the 
Gothic race. France was peopled by the Belgse and Celts. 
Nothing can be decided respecting the original population 
of Greece, or the conquest of it by the Scythians. Italy 
most probably was peopled from Greece. Spain received 
its first population from Africa. From the second Go- 
thic invasion, which destroyed the Roman empire, no 
doubt can be entertained that the present population of 
Spain and Italy is partly Gothic. The Slavi, who invad- 



96 

ed the north-west of Europe, after the destruction of the 
Roman empire, were an Asiatic tribe ; and the present in- 
habitants and languages of Russia, Bohemia, Poland, and 
Dalmatia, are derived from them. The Laplanders seem 
to be the aboriginal savages of that part of Europe 
which they now possess. The present inhabitants of 
Hungary are not Huns, but are descended from the 
Fins, who conquered that country. 

^VCJ^ltf rtUrt* The species of architecture that 
produce the most picturesque effect, are the Roman, and 
the Gothic. To the lovers of the sublime, the awful 
ruins of towers, and monasteries, abbeys, and castles, 
present a much more gratifying spectacle, than the ele- 
gant erections of Greece. Amid the wild and untameable 
scenes of nature, the rudeness of the British, the greatness 
of the Roman, the circular tower of the Saxon, and the 
pointed arch of the Anglo-Norman styles, assimilate 
beautifully with the romantic scenery of a surrounding 
country. 

The first specimens of Gothic architecture which we 
possess, are Lincoln, and York cathedrels ; indeed, they 
are amongst the proudest monuments of ecclesiastical mag- 



97 

nificence that any country can boast of. However, in 
the latter, there is more elegance than in the former ; and 
the architecture is lighter and more airy ; in fact, one 
cannot walk under its lofty roof, without a feeling of 
amazement that such small and delicate pillars should be 
able to support so stupenduous a covering. 

Houses in the country, in the last centuries, were ge- 
nerally built in the bottom of vallies ; perhaps, for the 
conveniences of making fish ponds there, or, for the sake 
of shelter from the bleakness of an uninclosed country. 
Accordingly, they have, in general, a very dull appear- 
ance ; and the pecuharity of their situation must render 
them very unwholesome. 

3$3UtlOlC0r, a large leathern belt, thrown over the 
shoulder, and hanging down under the left arm, worn 
by the ancient musketeers, both for supporting their fire- 
arms, and for the carriage of their musket-charges, 'which 
were contained in twelve wooden cases, coated with lea- 
ther. 

CatilOlifJJ* By the acts of Pope Clement XI. 
tome 2. p. 179. pubHshed in folio, at Rome, 1742, it is 

H 



declared that all promises whatever, or stipulations, made 
in favour of protestants, are utterly null and void, when- 
ever they are prejudicial, in any manner, to the Catholic 
faith, the salvation of souls, or to any rights of the church; 
even though such engagements have been often ratified 
and confirmed by oath ! ! 

IS^ttSitn^ is practised by all professors of the 
Christian religion, except the Quakers. It was performed 
by immersion, till the year 100. Sponsors were first insti- 
tuted in the time of the persecution, A. D. 130. Godfathers 
and godmothers were forbidden to marry, A. D. 721. 

(JITSitdiPJPtdetn^ a piece of heavy defensive armour, 
formed of cloth or leather,* fortified with iron-scales, or 
links, with which, sometimes only the breast, sometimes 
the whole body, and, occasionally, the horse, too, was 
covered. 

^t(t£( and ^(Ot£S« The original Picts were 
tribes of the Gael, or Celtae, inhabiting the southern and 
eastern parts of Scotland ; the Caledonians were tribes of 
the same race, inhabiting the mountainous regions. The 



99 

term Picts was not known as a national name, until the 
Romans began to advance towards the north ; nor that 
of Scots, until their power began to decline. Picti, or 
Picts, seems to have been an epithet of reproach, equiva- 
lent to savage, or barbarous, thrown out by the provincial 
Britons, who had submitted to the Roman yoke, and 
had adopted their modes and customs, against such of 
their brethren as adhered to their ancient usages, and 
refused to submit to the Roman power, but, remained in 
tribes contiguous to the Roman provinces. The Cale- 
donians are the Gael Dun, or the Gael of the mountains. 
Thus, the terms Picts, and Caledonians, expressed the 
distinction known at this day between Lowlanders and 
Highlanders. The term Scots, or Scuits, seems to have 
been applied by the provincial Britons to both Picts, and 
Caledonians, when they plundered the Roman provinces. 
It means wanderers, or, rather, robbers. Accordingly, we 
do not hear of the Scots until the decline of the Roman 
power, when the provincial Britons were exposed to their 
merciless incursions. That this name was confined to 
those tribes which lay contiguous to the province, appears 
from this, that, in the interior of the Highlands, the 
people do not call themselves Scots, but, Gael Albinich, 



1^ 

or Gauls of Albion. Hence, the Scots could not, as has 
been supposed, have acquired their name in Ireland, and, 
afterwards, have brought it with them to Argyleshire, 
and the West Highlands. The progress of the Roman 
conquests, would naturally suggest the necessity of these 
tribes uniting under a common chief, and would pave 
the way for the establishment of monarchies ; one, of the 
Picts, on the east of the island ; the other, of the Caledo- 
nians, afterwards Scots, on the west. From favourable 
situation, the Picts would soon begin to understand, and 
to -practice agriculture ; while the Caledonians of the 
mountains, would depend chiefly on pasturage and hunt- 
ing. Accordingly, the people of the interior Highlands, 
know no more of the Picts, than of the Scots of our anti- 
quaries. The people whom we term Picts, they call Drin^ 
nach, or labourers ; thereby denoting their agricultural 
occupations. The modern Lowlanders, they term Sassa- 
nach, Saxons ; which shews that they do not consider 
them to be of the same race with the ancient Picts, or 
DrinnacK 

(E^b3lt(t% a knight, gentleman, or soldier, who 
rides on horseback, and is of a brave, generous, polite. 



101 

carriage ; but, used by the writers of King Charles's time 
for a disdainful, haughty, and arrogant behaviour. 

^iCt& W&iUlh This work was begun by the 
Emperor Adrian, on the northern boundaries of England, 
to prevent the incursions of the Picts and Scots. It was 
originally built of earth, A. D. 12S, and, in 420, Atius, 
the Roman general, rebuilt it of brick. It stretched 200 
miles, from the Irish to the German sea, or, from Car- 
lisle to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with watch towers, properly 
garrisoned, at the distance of one mile from each other. 
It was ruined several times by the Picts, and restored as 
often by the Romans. It was 8 feet thick, and 12 feet 
high. Some small remains of it are still left. Roman 
coins and other antiquities, are frequently found near it 

iiTtl^nnOUy* Master of the ceremonies, is an officer, 
first instituted by James I., for the more honourable re- 
ception of ambassadors and strangers of quality. He 
wears about his neck a chain of gold, with a medal, un- 
der the crown of Great Britain. His salary is .^^.300 a 
year. He has an assistant, and marshal, under him. 



102 



35aib0t£(* This trade was brought to Rome from 
Sicily, 299 years before Christ. The barbers were incor- 
porated with the Surgeons' Company in London, 1540, 
and again separated, A. P. 1744. 

JBCttingClt, a village on the Rhine, where the 
British gained a victory over the French, in 1743. George 
II. rode between the first and second lines, with his sword 
drawn, encouraging his troops by his presence and ex- 
ample, and exposing his person to a severe fire of cannon 
and musketry. His son, the Duke of Cumberland, 
made his first military essay in this battle, and exhibited 
uncommon proofs of courage. He was^shot through the 
calf of the leg. The French horse charged with great 
impetuosity, and some regiments of British cavalry gave 
way ; but, the British infantry behaved with such steady 
intrepidity, under the eye of their Sovereign, as soon 
determined the fate of the day. 

(iTBpttbCj^* The Romans generally loaded their 
prisoners of war with chains, and placed them near their 
colours. The captive Kings had their heads shaved, and 



103 

were sent to Rome, to augment the splendour of the 
triumph. 

iSarnarll Cattle, Durham, is a large structure, 
situated on a rock, near the river. It was built by 
Bernard Baliol, great-grandfather of John Baliol, King 
of Scotland- 

©antr^®2airitinS» Henry VII. wrote a strong 
hand, but, as if he seldom had a good pen. The bold, 
hasty, and commanding vehemence of his character con- 
veyed itself into his writing. Edward VI, wrote a 
fmr, legible hand. His diary, written by himself, is 
preserved in the British Museum. Queen Elizabeth 
wrote an upright hand, something like the Italian. Ro- 
ger Ascham had taught her all the elegancies of the 
pen. James I. wrote a poor character, all awry, and not 
in a straight line ; a slovenly scrawl, indicative of that 
personal negligence, which he carried into all the httle 
tilings of life. Charles I. wrote a fair, open, Italian hand, 
and more correctly, perhaps, than any prince we ever had. 
Charles II. wrote a little, clear, running hand, as if he 
wrote in haste, or was uneasy till he had done. James 



104 

II. wrote a large legible hand ; and he was a detailer of 
occurrences, with a business-like genius. Queen Anne 
wrote a plain round hand, without any alteration of man- 
ner from that which had been taught her by her master. 



Cardiff Cajitle. Here Robert, Duke of Nor- 
mandy, brother to William Rufus, and Henry I. was 
confined for upwards of 26 years, and deprived of his 
sight, by command of his cruel brother. This castle was 
besieged by Oliver Cromwell ; who, in a book of his own 
writing, called the Flagellum, says he should have found 
greater difficulty in taking it, had it not been for a de- 
serter from the garrison, who, as soon afs the garrison 
surrendered, was hanged for his treachery, by order of 
Cromwell. 



3SHt*nCt« On Gladmore common, near this town, a 
severe battle was fought, 5th April, 1468, between Ed- 
ward IV. and the Earl of Warwick, which lasted five 
hours, when victory declared for the King, the Earl 
being slain. 



105 



a curiDusi Manuscript it is said that 

the Earl of Massareene has in his possession an ancient 
M. S. concerning our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
It is the record of an Epistle to the Roman Senate, from 
Publius Lentulus, the president of Judea, in the reign 
of Tiberius Caesar. It was the custom of the Roman 
governors to inform the Senate of such material circum- 
stances as happened in their respective provinces. The 
Epistle is as follows :— 

' There has appeared in our days, a man of great virtue, 
named Jesus Christ, who is yet living amongst us, and 
of the Gentiles accepted for a prophet of truth ; but, his 
disciples call him- the Son of God. He raiseth the dead, 
and cureth all manner of diseases; a man of stature, 
somewhat tall and comely, with a very reverend coun- 
tenance, such as the beholder may both love and fear. 
His hair is of the colour of a chesnut, full, ripe, and 
plain to his ears, whence downward, it is more orient, 
curling and waving about his shoulders. In the midst 
of his forehead, is a stream, or partition of his hair, after 
the manner of the Nazarites. His forehead is plain and 
very delicate. His face is without spot or wrinkle, beau* 



106 

tiful, with a lovely red. His nose and mouth, are so 
formed, as nothing can be reprehended. His beard is 
thickish, and, in colour, like his hair, not over long, but 
forked. His look is innocent and mature. His eyes are 
grey, clear, and quick. In reproving, he is terrible ; in 
admonishing, he is courteous and fair-spoken ; and plea- 
sant in conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be 
remembered that any have seen him laugh, but, many 
have seen him weep. In proportion of body, he is most 
excellent. His hands and arms, are most delectable to 
behold. In speaking he is very temperate, modest, and 
wise ; a man, in short, of singular beauty, and surpassing 
the children of men.' 



CnrmtlitC^, or white Friars, one of the four 
orders of mendicants, who pretend to derive their origin 
from the prophets Elijah and Elisha. They debarred 
themselves from ever possessing property; they never 
tasted animal food ; they habituated themselves to ma- 
nual labour ; were constantly engaged in oral, or mental 
prayer; and continued in religious silence, from the 
hour of vespers to the third portion of the succeeding 



107 

day. The Popes Eugenius and Pius considerably miti- 
gated the rules of this order. 

IS^rOlt^ a term which formerly included all the 
greater nobility, under the title of Thane, but is now 
used to designate the junior title of nobility. It was 
first conferred by patent in England, 1388. The Barons 
attended parliament in armour, in the reign of Henry 
III. They had no coronet, till Charles II. gave 
them a gold one with six pearls. 

UlSitOriCal CrattSJ in Fea>jce. The follow- 
ing anecdotes of the government of France, have been 
drawn from the most respectable authorities :— 

At the death of Cardinal Mazarin, Louis XIV. an- 
nounced that he intended to be his own minister. He 
persuaded himself that he was perfect ; and, from that 
moment, he wanted no advice : But, he yielded con- 
stantly to the seductions of his mistresses — and to the 
artifices of his ministers and confessors. A saying of 
Louvois will shew to what extent Louis was governed 
by those about him. Trianon was building, Louvois at- 
tended the King, who amused himself with those build- 



108 

ings. Louis observed that one of the windows was 
wider than the others, and, on Louvois presuming to 
differ with the monarch, Louis treated Louvois harshly 
before all the workmen. The minister humbled, retired 
to his friends, the two Colberts, Villacarp, and others ; 
and, bursting with rage, said — ' I am lost — if I do 
not give employment to this man. — Nothing but a war 
will keep him from those buildings ; and, with the bless- 
ing of God, he shall have it.' — Louvois kept his word. 
The coalition of Augsburg might have been prevented 
by a prudent policy ; but, he irritated the allied Sove- 
reigns, and Europe was set on fire, because a window 
was too wide ! 

There was a suggestion of a new tax of a tenth. The 
proposal was made to Louis ; he hesitated, and was me- 
lancholy. The Jesuit Tellier, his confessor, assured him 
that he was the real proprietor and master of all the 
property in the kingdom. — « You have satisfied me,' said 
Louis. — « Me viola tranquille / and the tax was imposed. 

The Jesuits were every thing at court, and held 
Louis in the greatest subjection. It was their influence 
that obtained the revocation of the edict of Nantes.— 
Louis, by divine right, and the decision of the Jesuits, 



109 

pretended to reign over the conscience. They told him 
that there ought to be but one God, one King, and one 
Religion. Three millions of men were, therefore, pro- 
scribed, their' goods confiscated, and civil war was kin- 
dled. The property of the protestants once confiscated, 
the lords and ladies of the court partook of the spoil. 
Such was the profligacy of the court of Louis XIV. that, 
when Madame de Montespan deserted her husband for 
the Monarch, on his murmuring, he was banished for 

the offence, without the tyrannical act exciting any 
surprise. 

At the first convalescence of Louis XV. there were 
daily fetes, and the gardens of the Thuilleries were never 
empty. Marshal de Villeroi took his august pupil from 
one window to another, — ' Look,' said he, ' behold, my 
master, all these people are yours ; they have nothing 
which does not belong to you— you are the master of all 
that you see.' The avowed and disgusting influence of 
this King's mistresses, and the national disasters which 
they occasioned — together with the bold and vigorous 
spirit displayed in the writings of Montesquieu, Voltaire, 
and Rousseau, created a general feeling of discontent, 
and contempt for the government ; and prepared the 



110 

way for the Revolution that broke out in the following 
reign. 

CarnarbOn^ in the castle here, in a small dark 
room, not 12 feet long, or 8 broad, was Edward II. born, 
in the part called the Eagle-tower, the walls of which are 
still nearly entire. 

iSarOHCtt a degree of honour next to a Baron, cre- 
ated by James I. in 1611, to raise troops for the effectual 
reduction of Ireland. Each of them was to maintain 30 
soldiers in that country, for three years, at the rate of 8d. a 
day for each man. They have the precedence of all Knights, 
except those of the Garter, Bannerets, and Privy Coun- 
sellors. Baronets of Scotland were created in 1625. By 
the original order, none were to be admitted to this dig- 
nity, unless, at the very least, he were descended from a 
grandfather, by the father's side, who had borne arms ; 
and had, also, a clear revenue of JB.IOOO a year. 

ilffVO^a* In the year 1683, there was one of the 
severest frosts ever known in Europe ; it continued from 
November to March. In France, it was so very intense, that 



Ill 

the hares and rabbits came into the principal towns, an^ 
took shelter. In Holland, there had been a violent flood 
but a short time before, to which the frost succeeding, 
the whole country bore the appearance of a sea of glass. 
A prodigious number of poor were starved to death in 
Germany, France, Britain, and Ireland. In England, 
the feathered tribe suffered so considerably, that but few 
birds were seen the ensuing summer. Wild ducks and 
other water-fowl dropt down dead in the streets. Vegeta- 
bles perished in the ground ; and all the corn was ex- 
pected to be destroyed ; but, contrary to that opinion, the 
ensuing harvest of 1684 was the earhest and most plen- 
tiful, that had been known for many years. 

^OQdinT^ Cambridgeshire. Near this place is Spin- 
ney abbey, where Henry Cromwell, second son of OHver, 
spent the latter part of his life. He had been appointed 
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland by his father, and so conti- 
nued till his brother Richard quitted the Protectorate, 
when he also resigned the regency of Ireland, and retired, 
first, to Chippenham, in the same country, and, lastly, to 
Spinney abbey, passing 'his time in the occupations 
of husbandry, in which King Charles II. found him 



employed, in an excursion he made — (for the purpose of 
seeing him) — ^from Newmarket, in the month of Sep- 
tember, 1671. 

€:8c #riflinal JSltie^iSeartr, was the fa- 
mous Gilles, Marquis de Laval, Marshal of France, and 
a General of great intrepidity. He greatly distinguished 
himself in the reigns of Charles VI. and VII., but, tar- 
nished his glory, by the most cruel murders, and licenti- 
ousness of every kind. His revenues were princely— 
but, his prodigalities were sufficient to render an Empe- 
ror a bankrupt. Wherever he went, he had in his suit, 
a seraglio, a company of players, a band of musicians, a 
society of sorcerers, packs of dogs of various kinds, and 
above two hundred horses. Mezery, an author of high 
repute, says, that he encouraged and maintained men, 
who called themselves sorcerers, to discover hidden trea- 
sures ; and corrupted young persons of both sexes to 
attach themselves to him, and, afterwards, killed them 
for the sake of their blood, which was requisite to form 
his charms and incantations. He was, at length, for a 
state crime to the Duke of Brittany, sentenced to be 
burned alive in a field in Nantes, 1440 ; but, the 



113 

Duke of Brittany, who was present at his execution, so 
far mitigated the sentence, that he was first strangled, 
and then burned, and his ashes buried. 

CJe 2SvtfOlinatlOn* one of the first exer- 
tions of constitutional Hberty, on the increasing power of 
the Commons, by their acquisition of lands, was, perhaps, 
the signal act of justice procured at the accession of Hen- 
ry VIII. on Empson and Dudlay, who had been the 
plunderers and oppressors of the people during the latter 
years of the preceding reign. The second was still 
more remarkable, in the overthrow of ecclesiastical tyran- 
ny, by the accomplishment of the reformation ; in which, 
whatever might be the King's true motive, the people had 
certainly no other view, than to obtain an independence 
in religious matters, which originated in their ideas 
of right to civil liberty, justly conceiving that reli- 
gious tyranny is the surest and best support of civil 
despotism. 

But, in this great change, the English did not discern 
that, in their anxious zeal to get rid of the authority of the 
Pope, they were throwing too great a weight into the regal 

scale at home, and, by that means endangered, their liber- 

I 



ty : For, Henry, after uniting the supremacy of the church 
and crown in his own^'person, was enabled to exert the 
greatest despotism in the exercise of the powers of both. 
Rehgious faith, he was continually altering by his will, 
and enforcing obedience by the most despotic acts. At 
the same time, he raised his civil authority to the high- 
est pitch by the passing of a law, which gave to his 
proclamations all the force of acts of parliament. 

Soon after Henry's death, the protestant religion 
became established, and the law which the parliament 
had been constrained to pass in favour of regal despo- 
tism, was regularly repealed ; from which time, the 
power of the Commons was gradually increased, as is 
evident from the many popular commotions that happen- 
ed in the successive reigns of Henry's immediate issue. 
Religious liberty now went on extending, and civil 
freedom naturally kept pace with it. 

SbtbUrj), Wiltshire, is noted for a Druidical 
circle of stones, a single, broad, high, flat stone ; and, a 
little to the north of that, a barrow, set round with large 
stones. This is supposed to be the remains of the family 
chapel of an Arch-Druid. 



115 



dSVtttVf was a British settlement long previously 
to the Roman invasion. Camden says, " This city is 
called, by Ptolemy, Isca; by Antoninus, Isca Dunmonium, 
for Danraoniorum ; by others, falsely, Augusta, as if the 
Legio, II. Aug. had been stationed there. The castle, 
anciently called Rougemont, was once the seat of the Sax- 
oa kings ; and, afterwards, of the Earls of Cornwall. 
When Isca became subject to the Romans, does not 
certainly appear."" — It seems, however, to have been 
somewhat considerable under the Antonines ; for, hither, 
and no further, Antoninus carries his itinerary in these 
parts. It was not until 4<65 years after the arrival of 
the Saxons in this Island, that Athelstan drove the 
Britons out of the whole city, forced them across the 
Tamar, and fortified the city with rampartsv It appears 
from Doomsday-book, that, at the time of the conquest, the 
King had in this city 300 houses ; and it paid 15/. a year. 
Forty-eight houses were destroyed after the King came to 
England. Leland says, " The town of Exeter is aigood 
mile and more in compass, and is right strongly waulled 
and mainteyned.'"' The city of Exeter was visited 
by Richard III. in 1483. He was nobly entertained 



116 

by the corporation. Oir seeing the castle, he commended 
it highly ; but, hearing it was named Rougemont, which, 
from the similarity of the sound, he mistook for Rich- 
mond, he suddenly grew sad, saying that the end of his 
days approached ; a prophecy having declared that he 
should not survive the sight of Richmond. 

SKlTCtttfOtiJj Middlesex. Here Edward Ironsides 
obtmned a great victory over the Danes under Ca- 
nute ; and Charles I. after the battle of Edgehill, beat two 
of the best regiments that the parliament had. In the half- 
acre, New Brentford, the members of parliament for the 
county are elected. 

ISUtl^Sm? the present Cathedral was finished in 
1M% The Deanery was founded in 1541. It was made 
a county-palatine in 1552. The town was incorporated 
in 1576 ; and an act passed to enable the city and county 
to send members to parliament, in 1672. The earliest his- 
torical notice of this city is contained in the monkish 
l^end of St Cuthbert, from whose votaries, Dunholme, 
as it was then called, acquired all its celebrity and riches. 
In the early wars between the Scotch and English, Dur- 



117 

liam was a considerable post on the frontier, and often the 
residence of the English Kings, during their preparations 
to invade Scotland. On the north side of the palace- 
green, is situated the castle, now the residence of the 
Bishop, when he is here. It is very favourably situated 
for defence, and was, probably, a fortified post before tte 
Norman Conquest. The most ancient part of this struc* 
ture is the keep, or tower, which is supposed to have been 
of Norman construction : It is now a mere shell. 

(iTOlti^tdOlCi^t ^^ hundreds and franchises, were 
ordained in the 13. Edward I., for the preservation of the 
peace, and the view of armour, by the statute of Win- 
chester, which appointed that two should be chosen in 
every hundred. 

SlpOtSC^^tSi, the deification of great men after 
their death, a ceremony used by the Greeks and Romans ; 
which was performed in the following manner : After the 
body of the deceased had been burned with the customary- 
solemnities, an image of wax, representing him, was pla- 
ced on a couch, where it lay for seven days, and was 
visited by the Senate, and by persons of the first quality, 



118 

in mourning ; and then, the young Senators and Knights 
bore the bed of state through the Via Sacra to the old Fo- 
rum, and thence to the Campus Martins, where it was 
deposited upon an edifice of a pyramidical form, sur- 
rounded with spices and combustibles, round which, the 
Knights made a procession in solemn measure ; after 
•which, the new Emperor, with a torch in his hand, set 
fire to it ; whilst an eagle was let fly from the top of 
the building, and, mounting in the air, was supposed 
to convey the soul of the deceased to heaven among 
the gods, from which circumstance, he was considered 
as one of them. 

iSriUtr^* Bribing parliaments, was first introduced 
into England in 1554. Lord Chief Justice Thorpe was 
hanged for bribery, under Edward III. 

^PplCib^t is situated on the Roman miUtary way 
called Aballaba, which crossed this country. A vene- 
rable castle belonging to the Earl of Thanet, at the upper 
end of the town, is kept in excellent repair. From old 
English statutes, parliaments have been holden here. 



U9 



• 



(JSTOinftBt^, first appointed, judicially, in Gaul 
about the year 500. William the Conqueror introduced 
them into England. The first decision by combat was 
made in 1096 ; and is still a part of our laws, though 
obsolete. A trial by combat was appointed in England 
A. D. 1547, under the inspection of the Court of Com- 
mon Pleas ; and, although Queen Ehzabeth interposed 
her authority, and enjoined the parties to compound the 
matter, yet, in order to preserve their honour, the lists 
were marked out, and all the forms, previous to the com- 
bat, were observed with much ceremony, (See Spelman's 
Gloss.) In the year 1631, a judicial combat was ap- 
pointed between Donald, Lord Rea, and David Ramsay, 
Esq. by the authority of the Lord High Constable, and 
the Earl Marshal of England; but, that combat terminated 
without bloodshed, being accommodated by Charles I. 
Another instance occurs seven years later, (See Rush- 
worth on the Statutes.) Law, however, soon obtained 
the entire ascendancy, and judicial, or private combats, 
were not only laid aside, but, were strictly forbidden. 
The military character alone, seems to have retained a 
sort of innate privilege to make appeals to the sword, in 



1^ 

cases where the nice sensibility of the heart breaks 
through the trammels of legal disquisition, and establishes 
points of honour which can only be determined by per- 
sonal exposure. 

dfUltS* About the beginning of the eleventh cen- 
tury, and, perhaps, even earlier, trade was principally 
carried on by means of Fairs. Many marts of this 
sort were established by William the Conqueror, and his 
successors. The merchants, who frequented them in 
numerous companies, used every art to draw the people 
together. — Hence, the custom of jugglers, buffoons, &c, 
assembling at these places. 

S[tf]^aitj3[rt, the passage to, through the North 
Sea, was first discovered by Captain Richard Lane, in 
1533, his ship being separated from the fleet of Sir 
Hugh Willoughby, then on an expedition to discover 
a N. E. passage to China. Sir Hugh perished in Lap- 
land ; Lane wintered here. On the English first entering 
the White Sea, the people never having seen a ship before, 
fled from it in the greatest consternation. From the 
time of Elizabeth, to the death of Charles I. tjie English 



121 

enjoyed the sole privilege of trading here, and the other 
northern ports of Russia ; but, ^since that time, it has 
been thrown open to all nations. 



(!tOtttin0rf0» The Romans protected commerce 
through their extensive empire, but, did not seek to 
monopolize it within their own possessions. During the 
middle ages, commerce was principally carried on by the 
Italians and Germans. At the beginning of the 16th 
century, after the discovery of America and the Cape of 
Good Hope, the commerce of the East was chiefly en- 
grossed by the Portuguese, and that of the west by the 
Spaniards. An hundred years afterwards, their glory 
was eclipsed by the English, and Dutch ; and, since the 
French Revolution, England has been without a rival in 
commercial importance. 



iSrOtflrtjJ, were allowed in London in 11 62 ; sup- 
pressed, in 1545 ; and tolerated in France, A. D. 1280. 
Pope Sextus erected one at Rome, in 1471, and the 
prostitutes paid him a weekly tax ! ! 



122 

Comprehension, m English church history, 
denotes a scheme for relaxing the terms of conformity in 
behalf of Protestant dissenters, and admitting them into 
the communion of the church. It was attempted in 
1667, and 1674 ; and again, immediately after the Revo- 
lution, but, always failed. 

SSOlOIISfl <2?ngllS|), a customary descent of 
lands in certain ancient boroughs and copyhold manors, by 
which, they descend to the youngest, instead of the eldest 
son ; or, if the owner have no issue, to the younger, in- 
stead of the elder brother. This custom originated from 
a presumption that the youngest is least able to provide 
for himself. 

(E0nri!t)!ncl3^> was, in former times, considered 
a kind of legal contract ; and was deemed neither sinful, 
nor dishonourable. A charter of King Edmund to West 
Mailing Abbey, A. D. 1107, is witnessed by the King's 
brother, and mother, two Archbishops, several priests, 
and Elfgede, '^ Concubin Regis.'''' Concubines were 
allowed to the clergy in 1206 ; but, were denied chris- 
tian burial, nineteen years afterwards— viz. in 1^25 I 



iSO^tDOttflt Leicestershire, is remarkable for a 
battle fought near it, on the 22d August, 1485, between 
Richard III. and the Earl of Richmond, afterwards 
Henry VII. in which, Richard was slain, and the Earl 
of Richmond crowned on the field. The battle lasted 
only two hours. 

A stone, with the following beautiful inscription, has 
been placed by the Rev. Doctor Par, in the field where 
this battle was fought, 

AQUA. EX. HOC. PUTEO. HAUSTA. 

SITIM. SEDAVIT. 

RICARDUS. TERTIUS. REX. ANGLIC. 

CUM. HENRICO. COMITE. DE. 

RICHMONDIA. 

ACERRIME. ATQVE. INFENSISSIME. 

PRAELIANS. 
ET. VITA. PARITER. AC. SCEPTRO. 

ANTE. NOCTEM. CARITVRVS. 
XI. KAL. SEPT. A. D. MCCCCLXXXV. 



124. 



vETOnUdtttOltt. is a name given to an extraordi- 
nary assembly of parliament, or the states of the realm, 
held without the King's writ ; which was the case with 
the convention of the estates, who, upon the retreat of 
King James II. came to a conclusion that he had abdi- 
cated the throne, and that the right of succession devolv- 
ed to King William and Queen Mary. This was also 
the name of the Assembly in France, which, on the 21st 
September, 1792, abolished royalty, and founded a 
Republic. 

i%Ctlll£$« That there was a period at which the 
inhabitants of Britain were ignorant of the art of work- 
ing metals, is evident from the numerous instruments, 
formed of stone and flint, which have been found in 
many parts of the island. But, the mineral treasures 
which nature had plentifully deposited in various districts 
of the country were early discovered by the Britons. 
Tin, long esteemed the most valuable production of 
this island, was exported by the Celtic Britons, many 
ages before the Belgas established themselves on the 
southern coast. The discovery of this valuable metal 



125 

led to a commercial intercourse with foreign merchants, 
highJy important in the early annals of Britain. The 
first nation that opened a trade with the inhabitants of 
this island was undoubtedly the Phoenicians. They are 
supposed to have traded with Britain about 500 years 
before the Christian era. At length, the, Phoenicians 
reluctantly admitted the Greeks to a participation of 
this traffic. 

Brass^ or Copper^ was the favourite metal with the 
Britons, whether of Celtic, or Belgic extraction. It was 
entirely imported by them, although they understood 
the art of working it, and constructed from it various 
implements. That their military weapons, — swords, 
battle-axes, spears, and arrow-heads— were chiefly form- 
ed of copper, or brass, is manifest from the relics 
found in different parts of the island. From these, it 
appears that they frequently mixed a great quantity of 
lead with the primary metal. 

(£SSfttt^ was introduced into England by Mr Daniel 
Edwards, a Turkey-merchant, in the year 1652, who 
brought with him a Greek servant, to make his cdFee. 
This man, named Pasquet, was the first person who set 



126 

up a coffee-house in London. In 1660, a duty of 4d. a 
gallon was laid on all that was sold ; and, in 1675, coffee- 
houses were ordered to be shut up, as places encouraging 
political dissentions. 

dminillC^* It is in vain to search into the history 
of time for an account of any family, much before the 
eleventh century. The taking of sirnames, was unknown 
in Britain before the Conquest ; and, this practice having 
been but recently adopted on the continent, it is probable 
that the followers of WilUam were the first of their fami- 
lies that did so, an example which was followed, in the 
succeeding reigns, by the Anglo-Saxon gentry, as it came 
to be looked on as disgraceful in persons of rank, not to 
have a second name. The christian names of their Nor- 
man masters were also adopted, as William, Richard, 
Henry, &c. instead of Egbert, Ethelred, Alfred, Edgar, 
and others. Gentility, and the advantages resulting from 
good birth, may be as fairly laid claim to by a person, 
whose family have lived on their estate, in affluence and 
independence, for the space of nearly a century and a 
half, as if they could produce a pedigree from Noah ; 
but, in a shorter period than one century, they undoubt- 



127 

edly could not lay claim to it. An eminent writer has 
said, ' The corrupted heart, the interested sentiments, 
the debased, however acute understanding, of a low 
man grown great, are too apt to throw a tincture over 
his family, for, at least, a century ; whereas, that race, 
which hereditary affluence has long placed above what is 
low, servile, and meanly ambitious, have a greater pro- 
bability of being distinguished by elevated ideas, and 
pure and independent souls.' 

0Otf)iC SlreSitertUre, can support an im. 
niense vault upon the slightest pillars. The elevation of it 
is so wonderful, that, although it seems ready to fall, it is 
perforated, and full of windows, in every part, and though 
it stands, as it were, suspended in air, it, nevertheless, sub- 
sists for centuries, and almost always proves more durable 
than regular buildings, 

|l|3ir* Long hair was esteemed an honour by the 
ancient Gauls, but, held odious in this kingdom in 1096. 
False hair was worn by the Greeks and Romans. The 
first peruke was made at Paris, 1620 ; and worn here 
soon after the restoration of Charles II. 



1S8 



(JTOin^S^ were first used in Britain 25 years before 
Christ. The first sterling money was coined in 1216, 
before which time, rents were p^d in kind. The chief 
instrument used in coining, until the introduction of the 
mill and screw-piece, (in 1662), were, a hammer, and 
steel-dies, upon which, the device was engraved. The 
metal, being previously prepared of the proper fineness 
and thickness, was cut into longitudinal slips, and a square 
piece being cut from the slip, it was afterwards rounded 
and adjusted to the weight of the money to be made. 
The blank pieces of metal were then placed between the 
two dies, and the upper one was struck with a hammer. 
This money was, necessarily, imperfect, from the inequa- 
lity of the force employed. The die used for coining, 
was first invented in 1617, and received into England 
in 1620. In ancient times, the right of coinage was some- 
times usurped by the more powerful Barons. But, 
Henry II. appears finally to have suppressed this abuse. 
Since his time, the crown has, at different periods, delegat- 
ed the right of coining to certain great corporations: But, 
this practice has been entirely abolished since the reign 
of Edward VI. 



129 



dTSiirfOttlt Gloucestershire, is celebrated for the 
glass windows, curiously painted with Scripture history, 
in its spacious and beautiful church, executed from the 
designs of Albert Durer. The colours are so lively, 
especially in the drapery, and the figures are, in general, 
^o well drawn, that Vandyke affirmed, the pencil could 
not exceed them. The glass was taken in a ship going 
to Rome. The church is a very fine specimen of the 
style of architecture that prevailed about the close of the 
15th century. 

T^Slvtt^t^ was formerly named the Danish axe, be- 
cause it was borne first by them ; from this people, it 
was borrowed by the Scots, from whom it came to the 
English, and from us to the French. 

(0tttl^^Otollei\ The invention of, is usually 
ascribed to one Schwartz, a Francisian monk, of Friburg, 
about the year 1320, and it is said to have been first used in 
war by the Venetians against the Genoese, in the year 
1380. It was first made in England about the year 1561. 
When Mahomet II. besieged Constantinople, in the year 

K 



130 

1453, he battered the walls with stone bullets ; and somr 
5f his cannon were of the caliber of 1200 lb. but, they 
could not be fired more than four times in the 24 hours, 
and they often burst. The French first used brass can- 
non, mounted on carriages, drawn by horses, in their 
wars in Italy, in the 15th century. The Indians of 
Virginia having seized a quantity of gun-powder belong- 
ing to the English colony, sowed it for grain, expecting 
to reap a plentiful crop of combustibles by the next har- 
vest, in order to blow away the whole colony. 

Siring* The first standing army in modern times 
was estabUshed in 1445. A British standing army may 
be stated to have taken its rise from the first establishment 
of the Yeomen of the guard, who were instituted 30th 
October, 1485, by Henry VII., to attend his person. 
Originally, they were 50 in number, but, they have been 
augmented and lessened at different periods since. In 
1529, Wolsey discharged 84 yeomen of the guard, from 
is., to 6d. a day. In the expedition which Henry VIII. 
made into France in 1544, as the Ally of Charles V. ; 
he had in his army 400 soldiers, who had charge of the 
like number of dogs, '' all of them garnished with good 



ISl 

iron collars, after the fashion of their country. They 
were used as sentinels in the night, as well as combatants 
in time of battle. Queen EHzabeth had, at one time, 200 
yeomen of the guard in ordinary, at 2s. a day ; and 20T 
extra, at 6d. a day. On the 2d of June, 1560, the pay 
was raised from Is 4d. to Is. 8d. a day, for nine months 
in the year ; and 2s. a day, for July, August, and Sep- 
tember, the remaining three months. James I. raised 
the pay from 2s. 2d. to 2s. 6d. per day. During the Pro- 
tectorate of Cromwell, they were discontinued, but, re- 
formed, on the restoration of Charles II. Their pay at 
present is 3s. 9d. a day. It is a place held for life ; and, 
though they all purchase their post at about the price 
of ^.350 each, they cannot transfer, or sell it again, but, 
must allow the vacancy to fall in at their death. They 
are dressed after the manner of King Henry VIII.'s time. 
Their present establishment, is, one Captain, with the pay 
of d^.2000 a year ; one Lieutenant, £.500 per annum ; 
and one Ensign, ,^.300 per annum. 100 privates are kept 
on duty, and 70, off. Eight are called ushers, and have 
^.10 a year more than the other yeomen. Prior to the 
accession of the Stuarts, armies were raised by the cap- 
tains contracting to serve the King, with such a number 



13^ 

of men, raised by himself, for such a time. The Captain 
made his contract with the soldiers, who were called his 
retinue, and received the pay for himself and them. Dur- 
ing the Stuarts' reign, the army was formed of pressed 
men, and volunteers. The following is an authentic 
sketch of the costume and establishment of the Coldstream 
Regiment of Foot Guards, on duty at the coronation of 
King James II. April 23, 1685. 

Colonel, the Earl of Craven ; Lieut,-Colonel, Edward 
Sackville; Major, John Hutson ; ten Captains, thirteen 
IJeutenents, and twelve Ensigns. 

Dress of the Musketeers, Grenadiers, and Pike-men : 
Large coats, of red broad cloth, lined and faced with blue ; 
breeches, of red broad cloth ; stockings, of red worsted ; 
Tery large slouched hats, turned up on one side, laced 
round with blue galloon, and decked with a profusion of 
red ribbands. The Grenadier caps were lined and faced 
with blue shaloon, and laced with gold galloon, and em- 
broidered, on the frontlets, with the King's cypher. The 
Pikemen had all of them sashes of white worsted, with 
a deep fringe. 

Every Ensign carried an enormous large Colour, each 
difejing in its device. 



133 

The dress of the Horse Guards, consisted of very large 
hats, turned up on one side, and edged with broad silver 
lace, and ornamented with very large knots of broad 
blue taffeta ribband. The heads of the horses W€re also 
adorned with large branches of blue ribband. The car- 
bine-belt was made of blue velvet, five inches broad, and 
bordered with silver galloon, edged with narrow gold- 
lace. By a list of King James's array, as it lay encamped 
«n Hounslow-heath, 30th June, 1686, it consisted of more 
than 10,000 privates, and, at the time, was styled " an 
invincible army ! !" 

(KOHCyt^, a French invention, introduced into 
England in 1589, by the Earl of Arundel. Till this pe- 
riod, saddle-horses and carts, were the only methods of 
conveyance for all sorts of people. Even the Queen 
herself rode behind her Master-of-the-Horse, when she 
went in state to Saint Paul's, attended by the Nobility of 
both sexes on horseback. In 1601, an Act of Parliament 
was passed to prevent men from riding in coaches, as be- 
ing considered an effeminate practice. Hackney coaches 
were first licensed in 1683. 



134 



jFttttial-tirtntttt, an estate in land, given by 
the Lord to his vassals in lieu of wages, upon condition 
of their assisting him in his wars, and other services. At 
first, the feudal estates were held at the will of the Lord ; 
but, afterwards, they were made hereditary ; and Duchies, 
Earldoms, Baronies, &c. were granted absolutely, upon 
he condition of fealty and homage. About the year 990, 
Hugh Capet made these estates hereditary — and the 
French Nobility began to take their surnames from their 
principal manors. 

William the Conqueror was the first who introduced 
these tenures into England. He divided all the lands of 
England, with very few exceptions, besides the royal 
demesnes, into Baronies, which he conferred on the most 
considerable of his adventurers, reserving stated services 
and payments. These great Barons, who held imme- 
diately of the crown, divided a considerable part of their 
lands among other foreigners, who were denominated 
Knights, or vassals ; obliging them to appear in the field 
upon their Lord's summons, to follow his standard, to 
protect his person, and never to desert him, upon the 
score of danger, and to pay aids and taxes ; upon non- 



135 

perfonnance of which the estate was forfeited. The 
whole Kingdom contained about 700 chief tenants, and 
60,215 Knights fees ; and, as none of the native English 
were admitted into the first rank, the few who retained 
their landed property, were glad to be received into the 
second, and thus placed under the protection of some 
powerful Norman, to retain those estates, now charged 
with burthens, which their ancestors had once held free 
of all such encumbrance. The decay of political govern- 
ment throughout the Kingdoms of Europe, consequent 
to the extension of the feudal system, occasioned]^ the uni- 
versal division of countries into baronies, and these into 
inferior fiefs, during the 12th century ; a change quite 
destructive of the independence and security of that 
part of the population called the people, a great portion 
of which were reduced to serfs, and lived in a state of ab- 
solute slavery, the other inhabitants paying their rents in 
services, which were, in a great measure, arbitrary. The 
towns were situated either within the demesnes of the 
King, or the lands of the great Barons, and were almost 
always subject to the absolute will of their master. Many 
concurring causes gave the feudal government so strong 



1S6 

a bias towards aristocracy, that the Royal authority was 
almost eclipsed, in all the European states ; in many of 
which, the Barons seizing every opportunity of encroach- 
. ing on the rights of the crown, and liberties of the people. 
In England, we find the force of the feudal system 
nearly dissolved at the close of the fourteenth century, 
when, by the various divisions and mixtures of property, 
a man's superior coming to live at a distance from him, 
and thus no longer giving him shelter, or countenance, 
the tie between Baron and vassal became more fictitious, 
than real ; protection was now sought by voluntary ser- 
vices, and attachment to some great man. The practice 
of erecting corporations endowed with privileges, and a 
separate municipal government, which gave them pro- 
tection against the tyranny of the Barons ; and the 
relaxation of the feudal tenures, bestowed an independ- 
ence on vassals which was unknown to their forefathers. 
Even the serfs, although at a later period than the other 
orders of the state, made their escape from villenage ; 
the last remains of which, expired in Queen Elizabeth's 
reign. — For a commission from this Sovereign for the 
manumission of certain bondmen, see Rym. Fsedera. 



13T 



(©rampian^llin^, in Scotknd, take their name 
from the Mons Grampius of Tacitus, a single hill, where 
Galgacus waited the approach of Agricola, and where a 
battle was fought, which proved fatal to the Caledo- 
nians. 

CItrgg* The Clergy of the Church of Rome are 
divided into Regular, and Secular. The regular clergy- 
consist of those monks, or religious, who have taken 
upon them holy orders of the priesthood, in their respec- 
tive Monasteries. The secular clergy are those who are 
not of any religious order, and have the care and direction 
of parishes. The protestant clergy are all secular. The 
privileges of the English clergy, by the ancient statutes 
are very considerable. By an estimate, made at the latter 
end of William III.''s reign, of the value of the revenue 
Qf the church of England, it appeared that, if equally 
divided among the Livings, it would have averaged 
jP.110 a year for each of them. 

(BoXti and ^llbtt* It is believed that these me- 
. tals were not known to be natural productions of this 



138 

Island, when it was first visited by Cassar ; but, these mi- 
nerals must have been discovered soon afterwards, as 
Strabo and Tacitus mention both of them among the riches 
which Britain possessed to reward her conquerors. 



T^nUObtC* Princess Sophia of, was mother to 
George I. youngest daughter of EUzabeth, Queen of Bohe- 
mia, who was the daughter of James I. and, of course, first 
cousin to JamesII. In the year 1609, Charles IX. of Swe- 
den sent two Ambassadors to London to propose a mar- 
riage between his son Gustavus (the Great) and this prin- 
cess ; but, she was pre-engaged. Her husband, Prince Pa- 
latine of the Rhine, was elected King of Bohemia, but, 
after a mock reign of 18 months, the decisive battle of 
Prague unkinged him. He died at Mentz, aged 37 years, 
leaving ten children. His daughter, the Princess Sophia, 
married Ernest Augustus, Duke of Hanover, and Bishop 
of Osnaburgh, in the palace of which bishoprick, George 
I. of England, was born. The princess Sophia was declared 
heir of the crown of England in the year 1700. Hano- 
ver was created the 9th Electorate in Germany in the 
year 1692 ; previously to which time, the house of Hano- 



139 

ver had never been accounted of much consequence in 
the Empire. For several curious facts, respecting its inter- 
course with England in former ages, see Rymer's Faedera, 
vol. 15. The house of Brunswick Lunenburg, was erected 
into a Duchj in 1235. The Duchies of Zell, and Saxe 
Lawenburg fell to the Elector of Hanover, on the death 
of his brother, William, Duke of Zell, in 1715. The re- 
venue of the Electorate, at the accession of George I. to 
the crown of England, did not exceed £.300,000 a year. 
Bremen, belonging to the Electorate, was formerly sub- 
ject to the Swedes, but, was conquered, by the Danes in 
1712, who transferred it, together with Verdun, to the 
Elector of Hanover, in 1715, for 700,000 rix dollars ; 
and, in 1719, the crown of Sweden renounced all the 
rights and appurtenances of the two Duchies, in favour 
of the Elector, George I. of England, for a million of rix 
dollars. 

George I. married his Couzin, the Princess of Zell, 
who afterwards, however, was separated from His Ma- 
jesty, and died in seclusion. 

George I. died at Osnaburg in the very room in which 
he was born. He was not the King that made the 



140 

greatest figure in Europe ; but he was, perhaps, the only 
Monarch who experienced on a Throne the pleasures of 
friendship -and a private life. He passed his time with a few 
old Courtiers, with whom he lived in great familiarity. 

At the general peace of 1814, His Majesty, George 
ly. raised the Electorate into a Kingdom. 

3^1*0 n* Small quantities of this metal were import- 
ed from the continent, both by the Celtic, and Belgic 
Britons, until a short time before the descent of Caesar, 
when some mines were opened, and worked by the latter 
people. 

(EyOal^f were first used in London in the reign of 
Edward I. who forbade the use of them A. D. 1273. 
The mines at Newcastle were discovered about 1300, and 
€oals from them first brought to London in 1381. 

(0iab£Seiltl. In the reign of Richard II. the 
French and Spaniards came up the Thames, plunder- 
ed this town, and carried away most of the people. For 
its security, Henry VIII. raised a block-house, with a 



141 

platform for guns, to the east of the town. In the year 
1522, the Church-wardens having neglected to ring the 
bells, as a mark of respect to the Bishop, (Fisher), on his 
visitation to them ; he prohibited the celebration of Di- 
vine Offices in the church of Gravesend, but, on their 
submission, the interdict was removed. 



^SUtJ^^vE^OiDlt^^ a confederacy of several sea-port 

towns of Europe, the design of which, was, their common 

defence against Pirates. For a time, this association was 

much encouraged by the different governments of Europe. 

In the year 1200, there were seventy-two cities in the 

list of the Hans-towns; but, from the 14th to the 16th 

century, they grew so formidable, as to give umbrage to 

several Princes, who commanded all the different cities, 

within their jurisdiction, to withdraw from the union. 

This separated the cities of England, France, Spain, 

and Italy, from the Hans-towns. These, on the other 

hand, excluded several others, and put themselves under 

the protection of the Empire, making a decree that none 

should be admitted into their society, but such cities as 

stood within the limits of the German Empire. At last, 



142 

the confederacy was reduced to Bremen, Liibeck, Ham- 
burgh, and Dantzic, each of which cities afterwards car- 
ried on a separate trade for itself. 

(i[ri3Jj[in0rt^ a great two-handed sword, formerly 
in use among the Highlanders, two inches broad, and 
double edged ; the blade being 3 feet 7 inches long, the 
handle, 14 inches; with a plain transverse guard of 1 foot ; 
the whole weighing 6| lb. These swords were the origi- 
nal weapons of the English, as appears by the figure of 
a Soldier, found among the ruins of London, after the 
great fire in 1 666, 

(^OllWC^ an ornament, worn by Knights of several 
military orders, hanging over the shoulders on the man- 
tle, and generally consisting of a gold chain enamelled 
with cyphers, and other devices, and having the badge 
of the order suspended at the bottom. 

0tttnU^0Vtttt^ is a village in Dumfries-shire, 
a few miles from the EngUsh borders, near the bottom 
of the Solway Frith. This place has long been famous 
for the clandestine marriages which have been celebrated 



143 

at it. They are performed by several persons, none of 
whom are clergymen ; but, the greatest part of the trade 
has been monopolized by a blacksmith, a man whose life 
is a continued scene of debauchery. This traffic in 
connubial engagements began about the year 1738, since 
which, there have been, upon an average, upwards of 
sixty annually ; the fees of which are estimated at 15 
guineas each, and, therefore, produce more than £.94:5 
per annum. The ceremony, when any is used, is that 
of the Church of England, and the certificate is signed 
by the pretended parson, under a fictitious name. 

In Scotland, it is held a legal marriage, if a single 
man call a single woman his wife, in the presence of a 
third person; the mutual appellation of husband and 
wife, in presence of a witness, being declared sufficient, 
by Scotch law. 

(ILVtSStyi^ a village in France, famous for a great vic- 
tory gained there by Edward III. of England, on the 26th 
August, 184J6 — in which, he killed 30,000 of the enemy's 
infantry ; besides cavalry, including the King of Bohemia, 
the Count of Flanders, and eight other Sovereign Princes, 
80 Bannerets, 1200 Knights, 1500 Gentlemen, 4000 Men- 



144 

at-Arms, with the Duke of Alengon, and other great 
men, the flower of the French nobiUtj. The Enghsh 
army was drawn up in three hnes. The first consisted 
of 800 Men-at-Arms, 4,000 English Archers, and 600 
Welsh foot ; commanded by Edward, Prince of Wales. 
The second hne, composed of 800 Men-at-Arms, 400 
Halberdiers, and 2,400 Archers, was led by the Earls of 
Arundel, and Northampton. The third line, or body of 
reserve, in which were 700 Men-at-Arms, 5,300 Billmen, 
and 6,000 Archers, were ranged along the summit of a 
hill, and conducted by the King in person. The French 
Forces consisted of more than 120,000 men, who came 
on to the attack in tumultuous disorder, whilst the army 
of England, though small, was compact and well ordered. 
Lord Berners, who was governor of Calais during the 
reign of Henry VIII. gives the following account of this 
memorable battle : — " When the French King saw the 
Englishmen, his blood changed, and he said to his Mar- 
shals, ' Make the Genoese go on before, and begin 
the battle in the name of God and St Dennis.' There 
were of the Genoese about 15,000 Cross-bow-men ; but, 
they were so weary of going a-foot that day, six leagues, 
that they said to their Constables, * We be not well 



145 

ordered to fight this day ; for, we be not in the case to 
do any great deeds of arms ; we have more need of rest' 
These words came to the Earl of Alengon, who said, * A 
man is well at ease to be charged with such a sort of 
rascals, to be faint and fail now at most need.' At the 
same time, there came on a great thunder storm, after 
which, the sun broke out f^ and bright, the which was 
right in the Frenchmen's eyen, and on the Englishmen's 
back. When the Genoese were assembled, and began 
to approach, they made a great leape, and crye, to abash 
the Englishmen ; but, they still stood still, and stirred 
not for aU that. Then, the Genoese again, the second 
time, made another leape and a fell cry, and stepped for- 
ward a little ; and the Englishmen moved not one foot. 
Thirdly, again they leaped and cryed, and went forth 
till they came within shot ; then they shot fiercely with 
their Cross-bows. Then, the English archers stepped 
forth one pace, and let fly their arrows so wholly and 
thick, that it seemed snow. When the Genoese felt 
these arrows, which pierced their arms, heads, and 
through their armour, some of them cut the strings of 
their Cross-bows, others flung them on the ground, and 
all turned about and retreated. When the French King 

L 



146 

saw them flee away, he cried out ' Slay these rascals ; for^ 
they stop up our road without any reason.^ Then ye 
should have seen the Men-at-Arms dash in among them, 
killing all they could of these run-a-ways ; and ever stiil 
the Englishmen shot where they saw the thickest press ; 
the sharp arrows fell among the horsemen, who were 
sumptuously equipped, and, killing and wounding many, 
made them caper and fall among the Genoese, so that 
they were in such confusion they could never rally again. 
In the English Army there were some Cornish and 
Welshmen on foot, who were armed with large knives ; 
these fell upon the French when in this confusion, and 
murdered many Earls, Barons, Knights, and Squires, 
(who, being dismounted, were unable to rise, from the 
weight of their armour,) at which, the King of England 
was afterwards much displeased." 

ll^UVVi^ttV^f were first appointed by Edward I. 
in 1291. They are now licensed by the Lord High 
Chancellor. It is the modem practice for Barristers to 
advocate any cause for which they are hired. This, how- 
ever, has not always been the case. It is recorded that 
Sir Thomas More, even when still a young man, never 



147 

could be tempted, whatever fee was offered him, to un- 
dertake any cause that he deemed a bad one. Lawyers 
may sophisticate on this point as much as they please ; 
but, disinterested men at once perceive the ill effects of 
the present practice. 

(SarJJe^ Xm COrpeiS, under the old French 
regimen, consisted of a certain number of Cavaliers, 
whose immediate duty it was, to attend the King's per- 
son. The senior company was called the Scotch-company; 
having been first formed by Charles VII. in 1423, for 
the purpose of shewing the great confidence which he 
placed in the Scots, and as a mark, of distinction for the 
service they had rendered the French in 1421, under 
their countryman, LordBuchan, at the battle of Baage, in 
Anjou, where the English army was completely routed. 

The Swiss Guards in the French service, prior to the 
Revolution, received double the pay which was given to 
the French Guards. It is somewhat remarkable that, 
103 years after the regular establishment of this Regi- 
ment as Guards, this brave body of men should have 
fallen victims to their attachment for the monarchy of 
France. On the 10th August 1792, they defended the 



148 

palace of the Louvre against an infuriated populace, until 
almost every man of the Corps was killed. 

The French Guards were raised in 1563, by Charles 
IX. In the Revolution of 1789, they took a very active 
and leading part. Their attachment to the new order 
of things, got the better of the loyalty they owed to their 
Sovereign. It is a well known fact, that no small por- 
tion of the Duke of Orlean's wealth, went towards 
corrupting them. 

(KTOUnt^ a Nobleman who ranks between a Duke 
and a Baron, and bears on his arms a coronet, adorn- 
ed with three precious stones, and surmounted with 
three large leaves, of which those in the middle and 
extremities, advance above the rest. In England, the 
title of Earl is equivalent to that of Count in foreign 
countries. 

MOOWi^tiU^^^OO^, or book of the survey of 
England, begun in 1080, and finished in 1086, is kept 
in the Exchequer, and still exists in a fair and legible 
character. This precious relic of antiquity consists of 
two volumes, a greater, and a lesser. The greater, com- 



149 

prehends all the counties of England, except Northumber- 
land, Westmoreland, Cumberland, Durham, and part of 
Lancashire, which were never surveyed. Essex, Suffolk, 
and Norfolk, are contained in the lesser volume. The 
intention of this book, was, to form a register of the te- 
nures of the estates in the Kingdom ; the quantity of pas- 
ture, wood, and arable land, which they contained ; and, 
in some counties, the number of tenants, and cottages, 
and the slaves that lived upon them. The commission- 
ers appointed for performing this survey, were six years 
in making it, and every particular was taken on the ver- 
dict of a jury. This book was composed after two old exam- 
ples of the same kind in the times of Ethelbert and Alfred, 
and was laid up, as sacred, in the church of Winchester, 
and, for that reason, Sir William Temple says, was called 
Liber Domus Dei, and, by abbreviation, Doomsday-book. 
By this valuable record, the question, whether land be 
ancient <iemesne, or not, is still decided. 

(^Ot]p^« An ancient people of Gothia, an Island 
in the Baltic Sea, not far from Norway. The Goths, under 
Alaric, invaded Italy, A. D. 250. They embraced Chris- 
tianity, about the year 400 ; and pillaged Rome in 410. 



rU 



150 

Fresh eruptions of uncivilized tribes from the North, 
having taken place at different periods, Odeacer, their 
Chief, put an end to the Western Empire, in the reign 
of Augustulus, whom he compelled to resign the purple 
tohim, A. D. 476. 

COb0lltrj>* An Abbey was founded here in 1043. 
The Earl of Mercia, Lord of the place, for some provo- 
cation which the inhabitants had given him, loaded them 
with heavy taxes, but, being importuned by his lady, 
Godiva, to remit them, he consented, upon condition that 
she would ride naked through the town, which she per- 
formed in the year 1057 ; having, however, enjoined the 
citizens, on pain of death, not to look out as she passed. 
But, tradition records the fate of a poor tailor, who— his 
curiosity being stronger than his fears — ventured to take a 
peep, and was struck blind ; whence, he was ever after call- 
ed < Peeping Tom.' The window through which the tailor 
is said to have gratified his curiosity, is still shewn, with his 
effigy in it. Edward IV. disfranchised this city for dis- 
loyalty ; but, was afterwards reconciled to the citizens, 
and held the feast of St. George in it. The Cathedral was 
destroyed by order of Henry VIII. The only vestige of 



151 

k now remaining, forms part of a private house. This 
city had once very strong walls, with 32 towers, and 12 
gates ; but, having, during the whole of the civil w^rs, 
aded with the parliament, Charles II. in 1661, issued 
an order to the Mayor for the demolition of them, in 
consequence of the disloyalty of the citizens. The church 
of Saint Michael has one of the most beautiful spires in 
Europe. In the Town''s-books of Coventry, is the follow- 
ing entry : * 1567, this year, the Queen of the Scotts was 
brought prizoner to Coventry, and was kept in the Ma- 
risse'*s parlor, and from thence went to Titbury !' 

jBVta* Party-coloured coats were worn in the 
reign of Henry I. and cloths of gold and silver, in 1376 ; 
but, in 1429, no one was permitted to wear silks or furs in 
Scotland, unless he were of high rank. No. 4217 of the 
Harleian collection, in the British Museum, contains a 
description of the wardrobe of King Henry VIII. within 
the Tower of London, and his manor of Greenwich. 

(BltlXtOt* The valley of, in Argyllshire, noted for 
the military execution of the Clan M'Donald, by a party 
of English Soldiers, in 1691^ in consequence of an order. 



152 

signed by King WiDiam in council, for that purpose. 
This barbarous massacre, excited the strongest sentiments 
of horror and aversion towards the government ; which 
all the arts of the Ministry could never totally remove. 
Their design was, to have butchered all the males, under 
the age of seventy, that lived in the valley ; but, about a 
hundred and forty out of two hundred, escaped. Their 
houses, however, fell a prey to the flames, as did their 
cattle and property, to the Soldiery, 



((LXt&tf a device, or ornament, worn on the top of the 
helmet, in the adorning of which, the Roman soldiers took 
great pride. From the beginning of the 15th Century, they 
became in general use in British Heraldry. No crest, 
properly speaking, should appear without a helmet ; and 
only such as are entitled to bear arms, are privileged to 
bear a crest. Women do not bear crests ; but, wear 
their arms in a lozenge-shield. Married women, arid wi- 
dows, bear the same arms as their husbands; but, the 
latter ought unquestionably to lay aside the helmet and 
crest, as well as the motto, and supporters. 



153 



^VOi^UtUfi* Several circumstances contributed to 
give rise to these expeditions ; such as, a desire of visit- 
ing Palestine, an opinion that the end of the world was 
approaching, and the hardships which were suffered by 
Pilgrims in the Holy Land. The first Croisade was 
begun in 1095, being principally instigated by Peter the 
Hermit. The last of the Croisades was expelled by the 
Turks, in the 13th century, leaving no other advantage 
from these expeditions, than their having tended to the 
civilization of Europe. 

(barter* The military order of Knighthood of the 
Garter, is the most ancient and noble of any lay order in 
the world. It was instituted by King Edward III. The 
origin of this order is differently related. The common ac- 
count, is, that it was instituted inhonour ofagarterof the 
Countess of Salisbury, which she dropt when she was 
dancing with King Edward, and which he picked up ; 
but, our best antiquaries think it was instituted on ac- 
count of the victory over the French at Cressy, where 
the King ordered his garter to be displayed as the signal 
of battle. 



154 

In KastaPs Chronicle, under the life of Edward III. 
is this curious passage ! — ' About the 19th yere of 
this Bynge, he made a solemyne feest at Wyndesore, and 
a greate justes and tournament, where he devysed, per- 
fy ted substanegally the ordre of the Knyghtes of the Gar- 
tre : howe be it, some afferme that this order began fyrst 
by Kynge Rycharde, Cure de Lyone, at the sege of the 
citye of Acres, wher, in his grete necessy tye thene, were 
but 26 Knyghtes that fynneJy and surely abode by the 
Kynge, where he caused all theme to were thonges of 
blewe leyther about theyr legges : And afterwarde they 
were called the Knyghtes of the blew thonge.' Hence, it 
is affirmed that the origin of the Garter is dated from 
Richard I. but, that it owes all its splendour to Ed- 
ward III. 

^InlUtCltt ^^ Northumberland, boasts of a fine 
old Gothic castle, in perfect repair, which is justly consi- 
dered as one of the most magnificent specimens of a great 
Barional-castle now in existence. It has been in the 
possession of the Percy family ever since the year 1S09. 
In this town, William, King of Scotland, was taken pri- 
soner, A. D. 1174), and carried to Henry II. of England, 



155 

who exacted d6.1 00,000 for his ransom. The castle was 
besieged by Malcolm, King of Scots, in 1097, who was 
stabbed by a soldier, who pretended to deliver up the 
keys on the point of his spear. His son Edward, endea- 
vouring to avenge his death, was here slain, and his 
army routed. 

(EVOiDmttU^ Lincolnshire, was formerly celebrated 
for its Abbey of Black Monks, founded by Ethelbald, 
King of Mercia, of which, little now remains except the 
North Aisle, which is finely vaulted, and is used as the 
parish church. The shell of the fine window still remains, 
beneath which, is the grand entrance ; and, over it, in 
a quatrefoil compartment, the history of St Guthlac is 
sculptured in bas-relief. The middle side of the nave is 
in part entire, and presents an interesting specimen of 
the pointed architecture. 

iS^tu^ Knights of the Bath, a military order, of 
uncertain origin. By some writers, it is said to have 
been instituted in the Saxon times. Others, however, 
assert that it was founded by Richard II. ; while others, 
agsun, say Henry IV, Nor is the occasion that gave rise 



156 

to this order better known. In the latter King^s reign, 
their number was increased to 46 ; and, after having been 
many years extinct, the order was revived by George L 
and their number limited to S6. They wear a red rib- 
band ; and their motto is, ' Tria juncta in uno,'— alluding 
to the three Cardinal Virtues, which every Knight ought 
to possess. 

In 1815, his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, be- 
ing desirous of marking his sense of the eminent services 
of the British Army and Navy during the late wars, was 
pleased to direct that a considerable augmentation should 
take place in die number of the Knights of ibe Bath. It 
was, accordingly, ordained, by Statute, that the Order 
should ia future be divided into three classes : The first 
class to consist of sixty Military, and twelve Civil-Knights, 
to be styled Knights Grand Crosses of the Order of the 
Bath : The second class to be composed of 180 Military 
Knights, exclusive of ten foreign Knights in the British 
Service, and fifteen Knights, officers in the East India 
Company's Army, to be styled Knights Commanders of 
the Order of the Bath : The third class, of an unlimited 
number of subordinate officers in the British Army and 
Navy, to be styled Companions of the Order of the Bath. 



157 

Appropriate decorations were assigned to be worn by 
each class, 

^InC^^ a small island near Gloucester, celebrated 
for the single combat fought on it, between Edmund 
Ironside, and Canute the Dane, for the whole Kingdom, 
in sight of both their armies ; in which, the latter, being 
wounded, proposed an agreement. Accordingly, the 
Kingdom was divided between them ; the south part fall- 
ing to Edward, and the north, to Canute. 

(^attltning* very little is known of the state of 
horticulture in Britain, previously to the time of Henry 
VIII. when the London Market was supphed with vege- 
tables from Holland. This Monarch's gardener introduced 
various fruits, salads, and pot-herbs, and cultivated them 
in the garden of the Palace of Nonsuch, in Surry, which, 
according to an account taken during the Usurpation, was 
surrounded by a wall, 14 feet high, and contained 212 
fruit trees. The only native fruits of Britain, are, the 
wild plumb or sloe, the currant, bramble, raspberry, 
strawberry, cranberry, black, red, and white heather 
berries, elder berries, roans, haws, hips, hazel-nuts. 



158 

acorns, and beach-mast. Of our culinary vegetables, 
only celery, beet, asparagus, sea-kale, and mushroom, 
are natives ; most of the others having been introduced 
either by the Romans, or, by the monks, and religious 
houses, from the 10th to the 15th century. Turnips 
and carrots are thought to be indigenous roots of France ; 
cauliflowers are from Cyprus ; our artichokes, from Si- 
cily ; the cherry and filbert are from Pontus ; the citron, 
from Media ; the chesnut, from Castanas, in Asia-Minor ; 
the peach and the walnut, from Persia ; the Plumb, from 
Syria; the olive fig, apple, and pear, from Greece, 
though the two latter are foimd wild in France, and 
even in England. 

In 1557, Tusser''s " One hundred points of good hus- 
bandry,'' appeared, in which, he gives a list of fruits and 
vegetables then known; enumerating more than 150 
species, besides adding a copious catalogue of fruits, 
which, with the exception of the fig, orange, and pome- 
granate, introduced a few years afterwards, the musk- 
melon, about the end of the 1 6th century, and the pine- 
apple, about the beginning of the 18th century, include 
all the species at present cultivated in British gardens. 

Towards the middle of the 18th century, a visible 



159 

change took place in our system of gardening ; the straight 
gravel walks were bent into meandering curves, the 
screens of Yew and Holly, were swept away ; the long 
lines of ancient oaks, which formed so fine an approach 
to every old mansion, were levelled ; even the very sun- 
dials were not spared; and the ruins of the alcoves served 
to fill up the sunk fences. Instead of a garden furnished 
with all the richest caprices of art, the houses of the gen- 
try are now surrounded with grounds, which only seem to 
form a portion of their parks. 

(iTr^ptSS* The purpose for which these gloomy 
vaults were constructed beneath many ancient churches, 
has given rise to various conjectures. That of their 
having been originally designed for Sanctuaries, appears 
the most probable one. In the Danish and Saxon 
times, they were much more frequently formed, than 
in later times. In the barbarous ages of the Saxon 
times, persons of consequence would take refuge in these 
Sanctuaries from the rage of an injured party, until their 
crimes were atoned for. In confirmation of this opinion, 
it may be remarked, that these buildings are often found 
to be enriched with ornamented arches, supported by pil- 



160 

lars, with grotesque devices. In subsequent times, the 
chancel of every church became a sanctuary ; and, in 
the reign of Henry VII. even the church-yards protected, 
for a time, persons accused of any crime except treason. 
This privilege was not abohshed until the reign of 
James I. 

That Crypts, after ceasing to be a convenient sanctuary 
for culprits, were used as cemeteries, is very probable ; but 
that it was their original destination is by no means so. 

SlttSltlS^ an ancient German nation, originally a 
branch of the Suevi, who, after various migrations, set- 
tled in that part of Denmark and the Duchy of Sleswick 
which is stiU called Angel, and of which, the city of 
Flensbourg is the capital. Here they were known in 
the time of Tacitus by the name of Angli. To this na- 
tion the Britons applied for succours against the Scots 
and Picts. 

3SattCl ^65 tg t Sussex, was built on the field where 
William the Conqueror overthrew Harold and his Peers^ 
14»th October, 1066. The high altar was erected on the 
spot where King Harold's body was found. The monks 



161 

were of the Benedictine Order, and were- brought oter 
from the Abbej in Normandy called Major, or the: 
Greater. William conferred upon this Abbey very extra- 
ordinary privileges and immunities; ordaining it to be a' 
sanctuary, and commanding, that if any murder should 
be committed in its environs, within the distance of a 
league, no one should make inquisition respecting the 
deed, but the Abbot and hi& monks. William offered 
up in the chapel the robe .and sword which he wore at 
his coronation : The monks used to shew them as curio- 
sities, witii a table of Norman gentry, who came into 
England with him, which was called Battel- Abbey-roll. 
The gate-way of this Abbey is one of the most magnifi- 
nt in the kingdom. 

^llgfeS^ta, was called by the Ancients, Mona, 
d.was liie final retreat of the Druids, of whom there 
11 remain several monuments of a highly interesting 
iture, similar to those at Stonehenge. It was reduced by 
gricola, A. D. 76. 

M^UViXtXOniUni^ a party in Scotland who sepal' 
rated firom the Presbyt^ians in 1666. They took their 

M 



J6« 

denomination from Richard Cameron, a famous field- 
preacher, who headed them in an insurrection, in which* 
he was killed. They never were entirely reduced till 
the Revolution, when they voluntarily submitted to King 
WiUiam, if?-; 

r)^.35tttial^^IaCtSi, were first consecrated A. D. 
210. The first Christian one in Britain, was formed 
A. D. 596. Burying in Churches, was introduced in 
750. Vaults were first made in the chancel of Churches 
about the year 1075. 

^ltnatCS!# First fruits, or a year's income of a 
spiritual living. In ancient times, they were given to 
the Pope throughout Christendom, on the decease of a 
Bishop, Abbot, or Parish Clerk; and paid by his suc- 
cessor. In England, the Pope claimed them, first, of 
those foreigners, on whom he conferred benefices ; but,^ 
afterwards, they were demanded of all other clerks, on 
their admission to benefices. Queen Anne restored them 
to the church, for the augmentation of poor hvings. 



163 



iE^UlUi^f was taken by King Edward III. and was 
lost in Queen Mary's time, A. D. 1557. It was bombarded 
by the English in 1696, without doing much damage. 

iSranCepetJ^ilaSitlr, Durham. TMs and. 
ent castle was long in the possession of the Nevilles, 
Earls of Westmoreland, but, was forfeited to the crown 
in the reign of Elizabeth ; and has since been successively 
in the possession of Sir Henry Bellasyee, Earl Faucon- 
berg, and John Tempest, Esq., and, still more recently, 
Russel, Esq. who, a few years ago, placed in this anci- 
ent castle a beautiful painted window, representing the 
famous battle of Neville-Cross, in the immediate vicinity, 
fought in the reign of Edward III. against David, King 
of Scotland. 

Ct)Cl£i0a« This noble Hospital for disabled and 
superannuated Soldiers of the British Army, is built on 
the site of one originally founded for theological dispu- 
tations, by James I. in 1609, which, falling to decay, the 
present one was begun by Charles II. at his restoration. 
James II. made considerable additions to it during his 



164 

reign ; and it was completed by William and Mary. The 
pensioners admitted into it are Veterans, who, unless 
under very pecuhar circumstances of bodily injury^ 
must be 60 years of age, and have served his Majesty 
twenty years. 

(^^ntlCntHtt^ in its strict meaning, is one whose 
ancestors have been freemen, and have owed obedience to 
none but thfe Prince. In common use, however, the term 
is applied to all above the condition of a yeoman, and, as 
such, bearing arms. Richard II. made one of the name 
of King a gentleman by creation. Henry VI. sent per- 
sons through many of the counties of England, to collect 
the names of the gentry in each ; and these lists are still 
preserved. The luxury of the age, in the reign of 
James I. induced the Gentry to quit their gloomy 
Mansions in the Country, to indulge in the excesses of 
thb capital ; which proved fatal both to their fortunes, 
aiid their consequence. In George I.'s reign, an ill-judg- 
ed Rebellion, speculative schemes, with the extension of 
commerce, and the additional imposition of taxes, com- 
pletely ruined the minor gentry, and drove their families 
into Cities, for the purpose of engaging in traffic, Previ- 



165 

ously to this period, individuals of one or t^o hundred 
pounds a year, had lived in independence, brought up their 
chiHreii with respectability, and were enabled ta bequeath 
their estate to their eldest Son. Such families, however, 
were a source of great inconvenience to the nation ; for, 
they were proud, supercilious, and, generally speaking, 
ill educated. (See Esquire.) 

ISttlHl^ near Northallerton. The Roman cause- 
way leading from Richmond to Barnard's-castle, passes 
through this place. This Roman road, for twenty miles 
together, is called Le ming-lane. 

^^t)0£itOl^* A sort of fossil stone, which may be 
split into fine brittle silk threads, of from one, to ten 
inches in lengdi. It has the wonderful property of re- 
maining unconsumed in the fire ; and was made by the 
Ancients into a cloth, in which they wrapped the bodies 
of their dead, who were to be burned, in order that 
they might the better collect the ashes. 

Cfilltern ?&ttnS3lttlS, are a chain of hUls, 
forming the division of the counties of Bedford, and 



166 

Herts, and running through the middle of Bucks, to 
Henley-upon- Thames, Oxfordshire, which were made 
Hundreds by Alfred, and are now annexed to the Crown, 
although they still retain their particular courts. The 
Stewards of these courts,''are appointed by the Chancellor 
of the Exchequer, and their salaries are £>^0 a year. 
This sum, however, small as it is, being derived from 
an office under the crown, the acceptance of it by a Mem- 
ber of Parliament, enables him to vacate his seat, when 
he deems such a measure expedient. 

(BtfifEltCr, was thought to be impregnable ; but, 
in 1*704, it was taken, by the Marines of Sir George 
Rook's fleet, under the command of the Prince of Hesse 
D'Armstadt. The day happened to be a festival, and 
the inhabitants were engaged at their devotions, at a cha- 
pel, out of town. The garrison were few, and not on 
their guard. The French and Spaniards attempted to 
retake it the same year, and, in the night time, four or 
five hundred of them crept up the rock, which covers the 
town, but were driven down headlong the next morning. 
In 1727, the Spaniards besieged it again, with a force of 
20,000 men. They even attempted to blow up the rock. 



167 

which they found impracticable, and were, at length, 
obliged to raise the siege. In 1781, the Spaniards again 
besieged it ; but, their ever memorable attack, on the 
13th September, 1782, with floating batteries of 212 
brass cannon, in sliips of from 1400, to 600 tons burden, 
ended in the destruction of all their ships, and most of 
the assailants in them. ^General Elhot, the governor, was 
created Lord Heathfield, for his gallant defence, and 
,by the army was long called the Cock of the Rock. -^ 

. 3BeJj^Ci)ain6er, Lords of, are ten in number. 
They attend a week at a time, in their turns, in the 
King's bed-chamber, and wait on him whenever he eats 
in private. ^The senior Lord is called Groom of the stole. 

^^i^ This animal is mentioned in the history Bf 
this country as early as the time of King Ethelred, and, 
afterwards, in the rdgn of Henry III. ; but, it was lost 
in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and 
was probably introduced again in the succeeding reign. 

C^tCll, Clerk or the, in the King's house- 
hold, has the control of the Yeomen of the Guard, and 



168 

all the Ushers belonging to the royal family. He, or 
his deputy, jtakes, cognizance of those who are to watch 
in the court, and sets tiie watch, &c. 

(Ptp£ilC^« The singular customs, language, and 
tparti^julaT; complexion of the Gipsies, have occasioned 
considerable enquiry respecting so extraordinary a peo- 
ple. The name is a corruption of the word Egyptian, 
and coKiflaon fame ha$ assigned them an eastern origin. 
They are said to be descendants from the people called 
Zinganees, in Turkey, who were banished from Egypt 
after the Sultan Selimus had conquered that Kingdom 
in 1517, about which period, they appeared, almost at the 
same time, in Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. 
But, there is reason to assign them a much earlier origin 
th^n this : For, in an old French journal of the remark- 
able occurrences that took place in Paris, at the begin^ 
ning of the 15th century, is an entry, dated August ITth, 
1427, stating the arrival of a dozen of Pencmcors, (doers 
of penance), all on horseback, who pretended to be very 
good Christians, and affirmed that they and their follow- 
ers came from Lower Egypt, whence they had been driven 
by the Saracens. A story, well calculated to gain a fa-« 



169 

vourable reception from Christian Princes. The whole 
body of their people did not consist of more than 100 
persons, (though they eaid they were upwards of 1000 on 
leaving their own country,) whom the Magistrates lodg- 
ed in the suburbs, not allowing them to enter Paris. 
Both Men and Women kept their heads uncovered, had 
long black hair, and a single garment, or shift, tied upon 
the shoulder with a linen string or cord, and a short 
cloak, were their only clothing. They had Sorceresses 
amongst them, who, by looking into people'*s hands, pre- 
tended to inform them of all that either had, or would hap- 
pen them ; by which means, they often sowed dissension 
in families, for they say to the husband, " Thy wife has 
played thee a slippery trick." These practices, at length, 
drew on them the Archbishop of Paris's anger, and led to 
their expulsion from the City. The existence of this peculiar 
people in Europe about this time, is apparent, also, from 
Albert Crantz, who, in his History of Saxony, says, ' In 
^ the year 1417, certain men began to shew themselves 
' upon the coasts of the Baltic sea, swarthy, tanned with 
' the sun, clad in rags, filthy and slovenly in all their 
^ fashions, egregious thieves; chiefly the women of their 
* company. The common people call them Tartars, and 



170 

< the Italians, Ciani, They have a captain, whom they all 
' follow. The chiefer sort are mostly well apparelled, and 
' keep hounds ; but, they have not a foot of ground to 
' hunt any beast in, if it be not by stealth. Their women 
' are carried upon jades, with their children, and stuff. 
' It is found that they are a sort of rascally beggars, idle 
' loiterers, without country or place to go to, living 
* on that ; their wenches steal, leading their lives like 
« beasts, without care or exercise of religion, gadding 
' from one country to another.' The first statute passed 
against them in England, was in 1580. They were 
banished from France in 1560, and from Spain in 

1591. 

It is strange that such uncertainty should exist re- 
specting the origin of the Gipsies, and the cause of 
their emigration. It must certainly have been the con- 
sequence of some defeat, or distress, that took place at a 
period of darkness and ignorance in the emigrants. That 
they were of Asiatic origin, the little that can be traced 
of their route leaves no room to doubt ; and, though 
they remain to this day, separated from the inhabitants 
of every country in which they have established themselves, 
yet, in no country has it been so entirely the case as in 



171 

this. In Spain, Poland, and some other parts of Europe, 
the Gipsies have not only taken a considerable share of 
the business of society, but, have also blended, to some 
extent, with the people. The British Gipsies have nei- 
ther learning or religion, nor any system of government 
or law among them, and are associated merely by the 
bonds of nature, and custom, which last preserves them 
in a state of separation from the people among whom 
they sojourn. 

^ttt^aSnttV^ a Yeoman of the Guards. Their 
office, formerly, was, to attend the King at meals. 

Cib^^^Unt? Herts. Here Richard Cromwell, the 
son of the Protector, under the assumed name of Clarke, 
spent many years of a venerable old age, in obscu- 
rity, and peace. After the Restoration, he went to 
France, and continued some years in secluded retirement 
at Paris. Upon a rumour of a war between France and 
England, he removed to Geneva. About the year 
1680, he returned to England, and resided in a house 
near the Church in this town, till the time of his death 
in 1712, in his 86th year. 



172 



33f3UlW^, devout societies of young women in 
Flanders, leading a middle kind of life, between the 
secular and the religious, but, making no vows. 

^CllliS^ were first introduced into Churches by 
Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, in Campania, about the year 
400. In England, they were first hung up at Crowland 
Abbey, Lincolnshire, in 945 ; and, about 1080, it had 
become customary to baptize them. The Turks have a 
very great aversion to them, and prohibit their use in 
Constantinople ; pretending that the sound of them 
would be troublesome to the souls of the departed. 

4#>P0rtSi^ In 1616, the Book of Sports was publish- 
ed, giving leave for innocent recreations after evening 
prayers on Sundays ; and in 1633, the King issued a pro- 
clamation, renewing this permission, by which the clergy 
were enjoined to read in their churches. It enumerated 
as lawful amusements on these evenings, dancing, for 
either men, or women ; archery, for men ; leaping, 
vaulting, or May-games, Whitsun-ales, and Morris-dan- 
ces; but, bear, and bull-baiting, and interludes, were 



173 

prohibited ; and the play of Bowles for the meaner sort of 
people was at all times forbidden. 

CiUQUC-^Ort^, five havens, that lie on the east- 
em coast cf England, towards France, thus denominat- 
ed by way of distinction, on account of their superior 
importance ; having been thought by our Kings to merit 
a particular regard, for their preservation against in- 
vasions. 

^UVUtttl^f the general name of a people celebrated 
some centuries ago, who originally came from the deserts 
of Arabia. They were the first disciples of Mahomet ; 
and, within sixty years after his death, conquered a con-f 
siderable part of Asia, Africa, and Europe. They in- 
vaded France, and kept possession of Spain till the. yeaif 
1511, wheji they were finally expelled. They also 
maintained a war in Palestine^ a long time, against the 
Western Christians', and, at length, drove them entirely 
out of it; but, now there are no people, of that name; 
for, the descendants of those who conquered Spain, 9XQ 
called Moors. 



174 



i^OiU) in ancient military history, a kind of cover- 
ed shed, fixed on wheels, under which^ the besiegers 
filled up, and passed the ditch, sapped, or mined the 
wall, and sometimes worked a kind of ram. It had its 
name frop, its being used for rooting up the earth like 
swine. 

(STlStCrClSinSi^ a religious order, founded in the 
11th century by St Robert, a Benedictine. They became 
so powerful, that they governed almost all Europe, not 
only in spiritual, but, in temporal affairs. Cardinal de Vitri, 
describing their observances, says, that they wore nei- 
ther skins, nor shirts, nor ever eat flesh, except in sickness; 
and abstained from fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. They 
laid upon straw beds, in their tunics and cowls. They 
rose at midnight to prayer, and spent the day in labour, 
reading, and prayer ; and, in all their exercises, observ- 
ed a continual silence. The habit of their order is a 
white robe, of the nature of a cassock, girt with a wool- 
len girdle. The Nuns wear a white tunic, and a black 
scapulary and girdle. 



175 



^CSib^S^^ ^ *°^^ ^^ custom, anciently exacted by 
Mayors, Sheriffs, and Bailiffs, of cities, and towns corpo- 
rate, from merchant-strangers, for wares exposed and offer- 
ed to sale within their liberties : But, it was prohibited by 
19th Henry VII. 

(ilTtt^UCl^ a Fort raised on the most advantageous 
ground about a city, with the view of commanding it, in 
order to defend the citizens, if they continue in their 
duty, and to punish them, if they revolt. It is distin- 
guished from a Castle, by being built with bastions; 
generally, five or six in number. 

^t^tt of ^OClrtB IN FORMER TIMES. The 

Gentry in the 15th century drank little wine ; they had 
no foreign luxuries ; they rarely kept male servants, 
except for husbandry ; their horses were indifferent ; and 
they seldom travelled beyond their own county. An income 
of ;*^.10 or £.20 a year, was reckoned a competent estate 
for a gentleman ; at least, the lord of a single manor could 
seldom have enjoyed more. A Knight, who possessed 
^.150 per annum, passed for being extremely rich. Yet, 



1T6 

relatively to the value of commodities, this sum was not 
equal to £A000 of our present money. Such an income, 
however, was comparatively free from taxation, while the 
expenses of the possessor were diminished by the service 
of his villains. Sir John Fortesque speaks of £.5 a year as 
^ a fair living for a yeoman,' a class of whom he is not at 
all incUned to lessen the importance. When, however, 
we read of Sir William Drury, one of thp richest men 
in Suffolk, bequeathing, in 1493, fifty merks to each of. 
his Daughters, we must not imagine that this was a le- 
gacy of greater value than four or five hundred-pounds^ 
at this day, but call to mind the family pride, and want 
of ready money, of that period, which induced country 
gentlemen to leave their younger children in poverty. Or, 
if we be told that the expense of a scholar at the Univer- 
sity, in the year 1514, was but £.5 annually, we should err 
in supposing that he had the liberal accommodation, which 
the present age deems indispensable ; for^ we ought to 
consider how little could now be afforded for about £.60> 
a year, which will not be far from the relative proportion 
between the value of money at the two perioda. What, 
in fact, would a modern lawyer say to the following en- 
try in the church-wardens- account of St. Margaret;, 



177 

Westminster, in 1476 ?-^" Also, paid to Fylpott, learned 
in the kw> for his counsel-giving, 3s. 8d. with four peiice 
for his dinner.'''' Though fifteen times the fee might not 
seem altogethei" adequate at present, five shillings would 
hardly furnish the table of a barrister, even if the fasti- 
diousness of our manners would admit of his accepting 
such a dole. 

Fleetwood tells us that, in 15S3, it was enacted that 
butchers should sell their beef and mutton hy^ weight ; 
beef, for o. half-penny the pound, and mutton, for three 
fo/rthings. In 1457, a gallon of ale vr2iB one penny. 
In 1540, 126 gallons, or a pipe of claret, was dfi'S, 4s. 8d. 
red wine, 126 gallons, £A ! 

Some idea may be formed of the profuse and magni- 
ficent style of ancient living, from that venerable vestige 
of old hospitality, Westminster Hall, which, we are told, 
was built by William Kufus, for his dining-room. Hugh 
Despenser, the elder, in the reign of Edward II. in the 
petition presented by him to Parliament, enumerates, 
amongst the contents of his larder, 600 bacon-hogs, 80 
carcases of beef, and 600 sheep, of which he had been 
despoiled by the depredations of his enemies. During 
the reign of Richard II. 10,000 persons sat down to 

N 



178 

table every day, in the royal household ; And, of Rich- 
ard. Earl of Warwick, it is related that, when he came 
to London, his retinue was so considerable, that six 
oxen were eaten by them for a breakfast f 

The first Toll in England for mending the highways, 
was imposed in the reign of Edward III. It was that for 
repairing the road between St Giles's and Temple-Bar. 
Little specie was in circulation during this reign. Rents 
were paid in kind ; and what money they had, was locked 
up in the coffers of the great Barons. Pieces of plate 
were bequeathed even by Kings of England, of so trifl- 
ing a value, in our estimation, that a Gentleman would 
be ashamed to mention them in his Will. 

The following extract from a M. S. Steward's account, 
belonging to some family of note in the county of Kent, 
bearing date 1671, may afford some amusement, by ex- 
hibiting a comparison between the prices of various 
articles of domestic use at the above period, with those 
of the present time : — 

1671. ^- *• ^' 

Jan. 12. To Good wyfe Newman, for 6 weeks 

for her boy, and dyett, . 3 

^4. Item, for 8 bottles of Claret, . 8 



£. s. 


d. 


10 


6 


15 





1 4 





5 





3 





^8 






179 

1671. 

Jan. 25 For keeping 3 oxen 3 weeks, 

Item, for ploughing the 3 acres, . 
31. To Goodwyfe Dunke, for 8 weeks 
dyett for John Morris, then ended 
To John Dunkin, for a load of straw, 
Feb. 4. To John Newman, 1 year's wages, . 
28. To George Mace, for 40 quarters 
of barley, 
March 2. For thrashing 7 quarters 4 bushels 

of barley, at Is. 2d. per quarter, .089 
For foddering cattle a fortnight, in 
the snow, .... 
June 2. For 6 pound of cherries, 

30. Paid for my Mrs Manteau gown 
For making Mrs's coat . . . 
For a couple of rabbits. 
For a quarter of tobacco. 
For two pair shoes for master, 
July To Goodwyfe Ballard, 8 days tying 
Hopps and weeding Wheate, 
For a fat Lamb, 
For 23 lb of veal and a call's head. 






2 








1 





9 








1 











1 


4 








9 





8 








4 








4 








5 


3 



180 

In the time of Solon, an ox was sold at Athens for 
five drachma,'as we learn from Plutarch. A hog, in the 
time of Aristophanes, was worth three drachma, as ap- 
pears in one of his comedies, called * the Peace.'' A drach- 
ma, accbrding to Arbuthnot, was equal to 7|d. of our 
money. A hundred drachma made a mina, orJBS. 4s. 7d. 
In the time of Solon, com was reckoned at a drachma 
the medumnus, or 4s. 6d. the quarter. A soldier's daily 
pay, 'was a drachma. The price of a seat in the|Theatre, 
was no more than two oboii, or S^d. 

The following is a summary of the changes effected in 
the state of society, in the reigns of several of our Kings :— 

Edward III. raised England to a high pitch of glory 
and wealth. Trade was encouraged by every possible 
means ; and the commerce of England was not more 
extensive, than her valour was celebrated. Surnames, 
which had been gradually adopted by the gentry, in 
imitation of the nobility, now descended to the lower or- 
ders ; and, in this reign, had become almost general. 

The reign of Richard II. was disgraced with strange, 
and often indecent tenures, contrived and established 
chiefly by John, Duke of Lancaster. 

The splendid reign of Henry V. gave nse to a num- 



181 

ber of great families, who were enriched by the plunder of 
France, and the ransom of Princes; and all who had 
fought on the plains of Agincourt, were allowed what 
Arms they pleased to assume ; but, the Heraldic body 
were commanded to degrade aU future pretenders, and 
usurpers of arms. The title of Esquire became more 
common, and, an inferior race of gentry arising, they were 
distinguished by the additional epithet of Gentleman. 

In Henry VI.'s reign, the distinction of yeoman was 
first observed ; being men who resided upon, and occupied 
their own lands. The gentlemen had arms ; but, these 
had not 

The reign of Edward IV. proved very fatal to the an- 
cient famihes, in consequence of the domestic wars ; for, 
it was his policy to spare the common people, but, to 
cut off the gentry. By attainders, landed property 
underwent a prodigious change, so much so, indeed, 
that the gentry, whose surnames were taken from places 
in England, and who had always written their names 
with the article de prefixed to them, now entirely laid 
aside that dignified addition, as their family seat was 
possessed by others. 

Henry VII. took every opportunity of abridging the 



182 

privileges of the ancient nobility ; leaving them mere 
shadows of their former greatness, depriving them of 
their attendants, and emptying their purses. In return 
for this, they had permission to dispose of their Baronial 
Lands ; a circumstance which has caused a vast change in 
the landed property, and a more equal distribution of it 
among the various classes of society. 

Henry VIII. was literally a most dread Sovereign. 
He drove out the Clergy, Monks, and Nuns ; and cut 
off the ancient Nobility. With the funds arising from 
their possessions, he enriched new-raised Peers, and 
Gentry, taken sometimes from the lowest situations. 
The Yeomen, by cultivating their paternal inheritance, 
became truly respectable ; their eldest sons were placed 
in the van of the army, and their younger ones filled the 
parochial pulpits. During this reign, fashionable people 
breakfasted at seven in the morning, and dined at ten in 
the forenoon. 

Under Edward VI. the nation evinced the greatest 
anxiety to shake off the feudal yoke, by their industry, and 
endeavours to acquire wealth, which, at last, broke in 
upon that distinction of orders, that had been previously 
kept up with the nicest care. In this reign, a new set of 



183 

families sprung up in consequence of the dergy being no 
longer restricted from marrying. 

In Elizabeth's reign, the last remains of villainage and 
slavery expired. The price of necessaries is computed to 
have been doubled during her reign. The strewing of a 
floor, with straw or rushes, was still in general use, not 
excepting the Queen's presence-chamber. During this 
reign, the nobility dined at 11 in the forenoon, and sup- 
ped between 5 and 6 in the afternoon. 

In James I.'s reign, luxury made great changes in the 
condition of the people. Citizens, from a spirit of extra- 
vagance, consumed their estates, and entered into many 
desperate enterprises : whilst the Courtiers lived at great 
expense, with respect to clothes, and food. Ancient 
customs were abandoned, and that strictness and severity 
of manners, which had formerly been characteristic of the 
nation, were despised : And persons under the titles of 
Roaring-boys^ Bravadoes, Coneventors, Quarterers, and 
such like, were allowed to exist, and commit depredations, 
unnoticed. 

Under Charles I., the English first began to relish 
architecture, sculpture, and painting. The Parliament 
would not acknowledge the honours which he had be- 



184 

-^wed during the Civil-wgr ; but, the Restoration con- 
firmed them. 

The CiviUwar ruined many of the Gentry, aJod en- 
riched a number of adventurers ; and, of course, property 
underwent great changes. 

In Charles II.'s reign, the custom of taking titles from 
surnames, and not from places, first came into use. 

Under William Til. the different orders of society 
became more blended together. Those who had been the 
defenders of Monarchy, during the Civil-war, were 
treated with neglect ; and all who had been the avowed 
friends of those principles which had deprived Charles 
I. of life, were honoured and trusted. 

The votaries of commerce in George II.'s reign, gain- 
ed a profusion of wealth ; and the lower classes became 
mpre respectable. 

Under George III. the condition of the lower ranks of 
sppiety was greatly improved, and their importance in- 
creased. With the higher classes, hereditary distinctions 
were more generally sought for, than at any former pe- 
riod ; the title of Baronet alone, being possessed by no 
less than 800 individuals ! 



185 



d8tl'^ttC0U)C, the second King-at-Arms, so called 
from the Duke of Clarence, son of Edward III. who 
first bore this office. He marshals the arms, and disposes 
the funerals of all the lower Nobility on the south side 
of the Trent; and is, therefore, called Surroy, i. e. South- 
roy, or, South King. 

iSd^SfCt Caesar found the Belgae in the south of 
Britain, as well as in part of Gaul, from the latter of 
which they had expelled the Celtae. The Belgae do not 
seem to have been of old standing in Britain, and it 
is probable that those whom he calls ' Naios in insula 
ipsdy were the Celtas, or first settlers, whom the Belgse 
had previously driven from the Continent. It is natural 
to suppose that the Celtae would first pass over from the 
opposite shores of the Channel, where the British coast 
was in their view ; the Belgae next ; and then, other 
tribes, from Germany, and the North, in proportion as 
the knowledge of navigation was extended. When 
men live by hunting, it requires a great tract of country 
to support a few inhabitants. Hence, they would spread 
rapidly over the country, swarm following swarm, until 



186 

they found" themselves confined by an opposing ocean ; 
and then, would feel the necessity of betaking themselves 
to pasture and agriculture. 

Jfltt^ This instrument is of great antiquity, and was 
used in the English Army till the time of James I. when 
it was discontinued till the year 1747, when it was re- 
sumed in the Foot Guards by the Duke of Cumberland, 
at the Siege of Maestricht. In the reign of Elizabeth, 
the fife is supposed by some to have been curved, from 
the expression in Shakespeare, " the wry-necked fife ;" 
but, this, perhaps, might allude to the position of a man 
whilst playing the fife. 

^Ittf nftUtlt* Kent. At the Red Lion in this 
town, a gentleman of the name of Norwood, treated King 
Henry V. and his retinue, on his return from France ; 
when wine was but 2d. a quart, and every thing else was 
so cheap, in proportion, that the whole entertainment 
cost but 9s. 9d. 

iSSi^Onttt is said to have been invented by the 
people of Malacca, and was first used on quitting the 



187 

pike. According to others, it was invented by a citizen 
of Bayonne, and thence named. It was first employed 
in the French service, in 1 693, in the battle of Turin. 

iTirf-ltOClt?* were first introduced in 1690, when 
match-locks were universally disused. At what period 
they were invented is not known, though it is thought 
to have been by the Dutch. 

^yOt&f after the manner now worn, were first 
made in the year 1633 ; and buckles to them came into 
fashion in the reign of Charles II. 

iS(9[rtl# In Rome, the young men did not begin to 
shave themselves till they were twenty years of age, 
which was the case with Nero, and Caligula ; Augustus, 
however, did not shave till he was 25 years old. After they 
were 49 years of age, says Pliny, it was not allowed to be 
done. The Philosophers permitted their beards to grow 
very long, without ever either cutting, or shaving them. 
Beards were worn in England in the 10th century ; after 
the Conquest, they grew out of fashion. In the reigns of 
Edward VI. and Mary, they were much in use'again ; and 



188 

appear to have been more or less worn through the fol- 
lowing reigns, to the time of the Revolution. In the 15th 
century, upon the introduction of more courtly manners in 
France, the Beaux cut their beards into particular shapes, 
and curled their whiskers. This custom produced a whim- 
sical effect, and men of gravity left off beards ahogether. 
Indeed, by a regulation of the University of Paris, A. D. 
1534, the professors were forbidden to wear beards. The 
Chinese are very fond of long beards ; but, nature having 
been sparing to them in this respect, they look upon 
Europeans as very great men, on account of this ad- 
vantage. 

dTlOiOtlElJ, in Northumberland. Near this place, 
a battle was fought between the English and Scots, in 
1513, in which, twelve Earls, thirteen Lords, five eldest 
sons of noblemen, a vast number of Barons, and 10,000 
men fell, with James IV. King of Scotland. The English 
lost upwards of 5,000 men, but, no personages of note. 
The Earl of Surrey, who commanded them, was restored 
by Henry VIII. (1514), to the title of Duke of Norfolk, 
which had been forfeited by his father, for engaging on 
the side of Richard III. 



189 



^ttSiP'IBtaSOlt, a Christmas play, or amuse- 
ment, of obscure antiquity, in which brandy is set on 
fire, and raisins thrown into it Those who are un- 
used to the sport, are afraid of taking them. This, 
however, may be safely done, by snatching them out, and 
putting them blazing into the mouth, which, by being 
closed, at once extinguishes tlie flame. With our Sires 
of did, at tliis season, 

" It was merry in the hall 
" When beards wagged all." 

•dTOtttntO^^ a village of Hainault, near which, in 
May 1745, the English and their Allies, under the 
Duke of Cumberland, were defeated by the French, un- 
der Marshal Saxe. The English were at first successful, 
and confident of victwy ; but, through the misbehaviour 
of the Dutch, were obliged to quit the field of battle with 
considerable loss. The Irish Brigade in the French ser- 
vice, contributed greatly to our defeat. Dillon, their Co- 
lonel, was killed in the act of leading them on ; They lost 
on that day, one third of their men, and one fourth of their 
office's. 



190 



^OtiOVf SL little village in Columbkill, one of the 
western isles of Scotland, near that of Mull. It was 
formerly a Bishop's See, which comprehended all the 
Islands, including the Isle of Man ; for which reason, the 
Bishop is still called the Bishop of Sodor and Man. 

S^Otnan 3^0at(£S* The miUtary roads of the 
Komans, were constructed with considerable ingenuity 
and labour, and may be described as a causeway, ten or 
twelve feet wide. They stretched in a direct line from 
one town to another, which was seldom a greater distance 
than 15 or 20 miles. The materials used in their con- 
struction, were generally taken from the neighbourhood 
through which they passed ; such as flint, in the chalky 
districts ; and stone, where it abounded ; and, in some 
instances, pebble, or gravel. The Roman roads in 
Britain, were first begun in the year 415. 

iffOVVt&f a town of Murrayshire, near which, is an 
ancient column, 25 feet in height, sculptured with sol- 
diers, on horseback, and on foot ; supposed to have been 
erected in memory of the defeat of the Danes, near this 



191 

spot, in the year 1008, by Malcolm II. before their final 
retreat from Scotland. It is called King Sweno's stone, 
or the Danish pillar. 

^tSmfOttl^ Lincolnshire, was formerly much 
more considerable than at present ; as, at one period, it 
contained 14 churches, which, in Camden's time, were 
reduced to seven, and, at present, to five. It had for- 
merly, as some affirm, a University, or, at least, two 
Colleges ; called Black-Hall, and Brazen-Nose. Some 
remains of these edifices are still visible, and, particularly, 
the gate of the latter, on which there is a brazen-nose, 
and a ring through it. The custom of Borough-English 
prevails here. In the Church of St. Martin, is a splen- 
did monument to the memory of Cecil, Lord Burleigh, 
Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth. 

I^CgitnCnt^^ The military were first thus mar- 
shalled, in France, in the year 1558 ; and, in England, 
in the year 1660. The oldest Regiment in Europe is the 
first, or. Royal Scots corps. The men of this Regiment 
originally left Scotland, in the year 1 420, under John 
Stewart, Earl of Buchan, second son of Robert, Duke of 



Albany, Regent of Scotland, during the captivity of his 
Nephew, King James I. to assist France against the con- 
quering arms of Henry V. of England. They bore a 
conspicuous part in the French army in the battle of 
Bauge, in Anjou, fought on the ^M of March 14S1. On 
Charles I. being crowned at Edinburgh, in the year 1638, 
a division of the Scotch Guards landed from France ; 
and, from that period, the First, or Royal Scots Regi- 
ment, which, no doubt, formed a part of those who had 
been formerly sent to that country, bears date on the 
British establishment, and has aa uninterrupted list of 
Colonels down to the present time. 

^illi of (0]Cr5anS0t were first invented about 
the year 1160. An act passed to prevent sending money 
from England in any other way, in 1^1. 

i^lSnSiUIIti^^ One of the finest remains of these 
successors to the great Baronial Castle, is to be seen in 
Haddon-Hall, Derbyshire, a very curious specimen of 
the ancient castellated house, few of which buildings are 
met with in the present day. But, it is now fallen great- 
ly to decay. This venerable mansion, with, its lofty 



193 

turrets and embattlements, when viewed from a distanee, 
assumes the appearance of a strong and regular fortress. 
On a closer inspection, however, these indications of power- 
ful defence are found to be fallacious, and to be intended 
merely for ornament. The whole of the structure is open 
to approach, and is designed, through all its interior, for 
the purposes of family accommodation, and rude, generous 
hospitality. The buildings surround two paved, quad- 
rangular courts. The great hall, situated in the princi- 
pal, or outward court, was evidently the public dining 
room of the mansion, and has a raised floor at the upper 
end, for the Bai'onial Family, and their most distinguished 
guests. The rooms appropriated to the higher domestics 
of the family, were few, and of a dreary character. But, 
it had a vast assemblage of offices, and chambers, for the 
retainers of the establishment. 

All the principal rooms were hung with arras; and 
the doors were invariably concealed behind the hangings. 

This species of Mansion comprised within their courts 
a chapel, having two side aisles, in one of which were 
placed long oaken benches, for the servants. Two large 
high pews, on each side of the body of the structure, and 



194 

reaching from the middle nearly as far as the Altar, were 
exclusively used by the family themselves. 

Amongst the few remaining buildings which partake 
of the above character, the Mansion termed Hampton 
Court, ranks with the most perfect. It was erected in 
the reign of Henry IV. It surrounds a quadrangular 
court, having a grand tower of entrance in the centre of 
the principal front, and a smaller tower at each extre- 
mity. This Palace gives us an idea of the magnificent 
style of building, considered desirable for an Episcopal 
Palace, by Cardinal Wolsey. The most sumptuous parts 
of Wolsey's structure, are no more; but, it is evident 
that the gloomy character of the ancient castellated house 
was studiously avoided in their arrangement ; and that 
the halls and galleries, designed for state and festivity, 
were calculated to display, with advantage, all the splen- 
dour of domestic decoration. 

^)!(£{^« The first commission to press seamen for 
the King's service, was granted in the year 1355, in the 
reign of Edward III. In 1596, 1000 men were pressed 
for the land service. 



195 



WiOtCt^ttV. On September 3d, 1651, King 
Charles II. at the head of a Scotch army, was defeated in, 
and near this city, and the vanquished were almost all ei- 
ther killed, or taken prisoners, and sold to the American 
plantations. The city was plundered by the Parlia- 
mentary troops. In the year 1797, the body of King 
John, which had been interred in the Cathedral here in 
1215, was found in Lady's Chapel, and, after being seen, 
for a part of two days, by some thousands of people, was 
restored to its coffin, and closed up as before. 

^ladl^'^Otl^ so called from his black-rod, with a 
Golden-Lion at the top. He is usher of the Order of the 
Garter, and attends the King's chamber, and the House 
of Lords. 

^f C£(tOttt Lancashire, is a place of great antiquity, 
having risen out of the ruins of Ribchester, a celebrated 
Roman Station, to the east, and about six miles distant 
from the present Town. Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, 
son of Henry III. founded a College of Grey Friars here; 
and thence, the derivation of the name of the town from 



196 

Pries fs4own. It has the privilege of holding, or cele- 
brating, a guild^merchant every twenty years, which is 
resorted to by all the people of fashion in the county. 
It is held in August. The last Guild took place in the 
year 1822, and some of the dresses worn by the Ladies 
there, were said to be worth more than £.10,000. This 
Guild was instituted in the reign of Henry III. 

This town has, at various periods of civil commotion, 
been an important military post. In 1648, the English 
and Scotch combined army, under the Duke of Hamilton, 
and Sir Marmaduke Langdale, was defeated, as they 
were advancing to the assistance of Charles I. The 
battle was fought on Ribbleton-moor, to the eastward of 
the town, and, also, at the pass of the bridge. The 
Parliamentary forces were commanded by Cromwell, and 
Lambert, and were much inferior in point of numbiers. 
In the year 1715, the Rebel-army, under General For- 
ster, got possession of the town, which they fortified. 
^General Wells marched against them, with six regiments 
of horse, and a battalion of foot, which were further rein- 
, forced by three regiments of Dragoons, and the Rebels 
;were invested on all sides. The Highlanders declared that 
rth% would make a sally^, sword in hand, and either out 



197 

their way through the King's troops^ or perish in the at- 
tempt ; but they were over-ruled, and prevailed upon by 
their Chiefs to lay down their arms ; and they were then 
put under a strong guard. Four Officers wete tried as 
deserters, and executed. Lord Charles Murray, son of 
the Duke of Athol, was likewise condemned for the same 
crime, but, reprieved. The rest were confined in diffe- 
rent goals, in the Kingdom. 



The first mention of periwigs in English 
history, is met with in the account of Prince Charles, and 
the Duke of Buckingham, appearing in disguise, at a 
ball in Paris, on their way to Madrid. Wigs were but 
little used in England, till after the restoration of 
Charles II. 

iSOOft^ The most ancient materials of books, were, 
the leaves of the palm tree, and the papyrus ; then, lea- 
ther, and, afterwards, parchment. Books anciently con- 
sisted of rolls, the several sheets being joined together at 
the ends. In the days of William the Conqueror, books 
were extremely scarce. Grace, Countess of Anjou, paid for 
a collection of Homilies, two hundred sheep, a quarter of 



198 

wheat, another of rye, and a third of millet, besides a 
number of martin skins. 

^COtnStttt the highest rank among the plebeians of 
England. In common acceptation, a free-born English- 
man, who may spend out of the revenue of his own free 
land, at least forty shillings a year. 

^reSftOlt'PanSi* in the Rebellion of 1745> 
General Cope''s army, consisting of 3,000 Infantry and 
Dragoons, well supported by Artillery, was defeated near 
this village, by the Rebels ; whose forces were nearly of 
the same number, but, composed of undisciplined and half- 
armed Highlanders, without either cavalry, or artillery. 

2!S%0lb(£(« King Edgar effected the extirpation 
of these ravenous animals in England, which, in his time, 
were very numerous, by changing the tribute of gold, 
silver, and cattle, paid him by the Welsh, for 300 wolves^ 
heads annually ; and also granting a pardon to criminals, 
on condition of their bringing to him a certain number 
of wolves' tongues ; so that, in a few years, there was 
not onc'of these savage animals left. 



199 



iSOintl^S!^ was given by the Portuguese to Charles 
II. with Tangers, in Africa, as a dowry with the In- 
fanta, in 1662 ; and was granted to the East India Com- 
pany by WiUiam III. in 1688. 

^tttSS^tS* The Teutonic ord^r had supreme 
power in Prussia, for about 300 years ; after which, 
Prussia was added to the dominion of the electoral house 
of Brandenburgh ; and, in 1704, it was raised to a king- 
dom by the Elector Frederic, who, with his own hands, 
put the crown on his head, and on that of his consort, at 
Koningsburgh. 



^ The art of. The means of attack and 
defence appear to have been among the first essays of 
human invention, and to have called forth the powers of 
the mind in a greater degree, than any of the arts of 
peace. To the club, and the dart, succeeded the bow 
and arrow. The employment of iron was of later disco- 
very. The earliest fortifications, were, trees interlaced 
with boughs ; to which succeeded the wall, with holes 
left for missile weapons. The Battering-Rara was oppos- 



200 

ed to the wall, by Pericles, the Athenian. To meet this 
invention, parapets were introduced, which were coun- 
teracted by covers^ pushed close to the walls, to secure, 
in their turn, the assailants. This was again rendered 
ineffectual, by deep and broad ditches ; which drove them 
to the necessity of inventing machines, for throwing wea- 
pons from a distance ; and these engines again, suggested 
the mode of fortification that enables one part to flank 
another, and led to the construction of towers on the sa- 
lient angles of the walls. The invention of cannon, creat- 
ed a great revolution in military architecture. To resist 
their force, bastions, horn-works, crown-works, half- 
moons, &c. were adopted; but, the art of attack having, 
at least, kept pace with that of defence, these inventions 
have been rendered of little service. 

^nttt^n^* This rehgious sect made their first 
appearance in Queen Elizabeth's time ; and, on account 
of their extraordinary sanctity, were called Puritans. The 
controversy that gave rise to their separation, began in 
Edward VI.'s reign, on occasion of Bishop Hooper re- 
fusing to be consecrated in the Habits then worn by the 
Bishops. Among the first of this sect, it was the cus- 



201 

torn, on their marriage, for the Bride and Bridegroom to 
stand hand in hand before the pulpit, while the preacher 
harangued them for, perhaps, two hours, upon the ma- 
trimonial duties. 

wUCllni^^ was Authorised before the Normans 
came into England ; but, the practice was not so frequent 
as it became after the Conquest, when it came to be a part 
of the jurisprudence of the country, and was authorized 
on many occasions by the Magistrate, as the most pro- 
per method of terminating questions relating to property, 
or the perpetration of crimes. These appeals to the jus- 
tice of the Supreme Being — as they were considered to 
be — were regulated according to prescription of law, and 
with judicial form. Men accustomed to this method of 
decision, were naturally led to apply it to personal and 
private quarrels, without the appointment, or interference 
of judicial authority ; and such is the dominion of fashion, 
that neither the terror of penal laws, nor a reverence for 
religion, has been able to abolish the practice. 

^CiD* Before the use of fire-arms was known, every 
parish in England was obliged to have Yew-trees in its 



202 

Church-yard, the branches of which were made into 
bows. To this circumstance it is owing that, in many 
of those places, we find Yew-trees still growing. 

dfTOtuCuCrSiy a religious order of St Francis, who 
wear a coarse grey cloth, with a little cowl, or cloak, of 
the same cloth, and a rope-girdle with three knots, from 
which they take their name. They are enjoined to live 
in common. Those who are admitted into the order, are 
first to sell all they have, and give it to the poor. 

^ OntCf f 9i(tt Yorkshire. The castle here, now in 
ruins, has been the scene of various tragical events in 
English history. Richard II. after being deposed, was 
starved, or tormented to death here; and here too, 
Anthony, Earl of Rivers, and Sir Richard Grey, were 
murdered by order of Richard III. All that remains of 
the Castle, at present, are the lower story, with horrible 
dungeons, winding stairs, and a well. 

^^fifttfiJ* The towers in Cathedral churches were 
not always intended for bells. In early times, they were 
built open almost to the covering, at the four sides, for 



the purpose of containing a lantern with a light, for the 
direction of the traveller, or to serve as a sea-mark at 
night. The church of All-Saints at York, has this kind 
of stone lantern-tower, which tradition says had ancient- 
ly a large lamp hung in it, which was hghted in the 
night time, to guide travellers, in their passage through 
the immense forest of Galtres to this city. Stow says 
that the Steeple of Bow-church, in Cheapside, finished 
about the year 1516, had five lanterns ; namely, one at 
each corner, and one on the top, upon the centre of the 
arches. It seems that the lanterns on the top of this 
steeple, were meant to have been glazed, and to have 
lights placed in them every night during the winter ; by 
which, travellers to the city might have better view of it, 
and not lose their way. — Survey, p. 542. 

iS^ttlC^if have ever been the last resource of good 
Generals. Chance and accident often overturn the most 
prudential arrangements. Superiority of numbers by no 
means ensures success. A good general, in fact, never 
commences a battle, without a clear necessity for so doing. 
To fight because the enemy is near, or there is no other 
concerted plan of operation, is often a fatal method of 



204 

making war. Darius lost his crown and his Ufe by such 
injudicious rashness ; Harold of England did the same ; 
and Francis I. at Pavia, lost at once both the battle and 
his liberty. King John of France fought the battle of 
Poicters, though ruin would have attended his enemy 
even if he had not fought at all. The Russian and Prus- 
sian campaigns against Buonaparte in 1806, and 1807, 
are strong illustrations of this truth. 

4P0lTUS9l« This country was conquered from the 
Moors by Alfonso, in the year 1147, with the assistance 
of a great fleet from England, which was bound for the 
Holy Land, under the command of WiUiam Longspear 
— Alfonso became the first King. When the Portuguese, 
at the close of the 14th century, were engaged in hosti- 
hties with the Castilians, who had possessed themselves of 
the greatest part of the Kingdom, the English went to 
their succour in great numbers, and were distinguished for 
their valour. Edward the Black Prince, John of Gaunt, 
John Chandos, and Sir Edward Knowles, fought in that 
country, against Bertram of Clesquy, and the flower of 
French Chivalry, who composed the van of the Spanish 
army. Such an insolent superiority was exercised by 



205 

the English, at this time, over their Allies, that, upon 
occasion of some discontent, they erected the Pennon of 
Saint George, as a signal of revolt ; elected Sir John 
Soltier, a natural son of the Black Prince, their captain, 
and proclaimed themselves, " Friends to God, and ene- 
mies to all the world;'''' nor had the King any other mode 
of saving his country from pillage, than by complying 
with their demands. Portugal appears to have owed 
her security, at this period, from the ambitious projects 
of her martial allies, to very different sentiments from 
those that influence their descendants. The following 
description of this country was given by the English at 
that time : — ' The Englishmen found the wines so strong, 
' hot, and burning, that it corrupted their heads, and 

* dried their bowels, and burnt their lights and livers ; 
' and they had no remedy ; for, they could find little 

* good water to temper their wine, nor to refresh them ; 
' which was contrary to their natures ; for, Englishmen, 

* in their own cpuntriess, are sweetly nourished ; and there 
/ they were burnt, both within and without.' 

To the Portuguese, in the 15th century, is due the 
lofty praise of having widely extended the sphere of hu- 
man knowledge, by a spirit of discovery, which never 



206 

since has been surpassed by any age or country. In 
1580, there was a failure in the Royal line, and Philip 
II. of Spain, got possession of the throne. In 1640, a 
revolution took place, John, Duke of Braganza, obtained 
the crown, and* his descendants continue to enjoy it. 

tE^9[tnl!DCItt]^9 Staffordshire, was once the Royal 
seat of the Mercian Kings. An ancient castle here, was 
possessed by the Marmions, hereditary Champions to the 
Kings of England. The Church contains some antique 
monuments ; it has two great Saxon arches, and was for- 
merly collegiate. 

(2^nUL The land between the Alps and the Py- 
rannees, the Mediterranean sea, the Ocean, and the 
river Rhine, is, properly speaking, Gaul, called by Caesar 
Transalpina, because it is beyond the Alps, as regarded 
'from the city of Rome. It was divided into two parts, 
that lying nearest to Italy, was called Provincia ; the other 
part, which Caesar subdued to the Roman empire, he term- 
ed Gallia, and divided into three portions, one inhabit- 
ed by the Belgi, the other by the Aquitani, and the third 
by the Celti, whom the Romans called Galli or Gauls. 



207 



l^Ot^tOC^y were first imported into Europe in 
1565, by Hawkins, from SantaFe in South America. They 
were first introduced into England, on the western coast, 
by the accident of a vessel which contained some of these 
vegetables, being wrecked at a village near Formby in 
Lancashire, a place still famed for good potatoes. Ge- 
rard, an old English Botanist, mentions that he received 
seedlings of the potatoe about the year 1570, and that it 
grew as well in his garden as in its native soil. Sir Wal- 
ter Raleigh first planted them in Ireland, where he had 
an Estate. In a M. S. account of the household expenses 
of Queen Anne, wife of James I. written about the year 
161S, the price of potatoes is stated at Is. a pound. 
Previously to 1684, the cultivation of the potatoe in 
England, was confined to the gardens of a few of the 
Nobility and Gentry. 

iETSuCtnSi^ have a claim to high antiquity. Edward 
III. in the year 1340, granted the Vintners a charter, 
in which they are described as wine-merchants and ta- 
vern-keepers. In fact, this description of houses was often 
frequented by the nobility of that, and subsequent times. 



208 

Henry V. whilst prince of Wales, was a constant visitor 
at the Boar's head. East-cheap. 



►lilt J) titter* From its having been founded 

in a chalky soil, was called Gaer Gwent, or the White 

City : By the Romans, it was styled Venta Belgarum. 

Some of their coins, particularly those of Constantine the 

Oreat, and a pavement of Roman brick-work, were dis^ 

covered in digging the foundation of the Royal Palace. 

Under the Romans, this city became a very considerable 

place. Here they manufactured cloth for the Emperor, 

and the Army, together with all sorts of linen ; ajid here, 

too, they kept their pubhc archives and records. On 

the dissolution of the Saxon Heptarchy, in the year 828, 

Winchester became the capital of the Kingdom, and the 

residence of its Prince. Egbert, after having reduced the 

whole Kingdom under his authority, convoked a Witten- 

agemote, or great council here, in which he was crowned 

■King of all England. On the death of William Rufus, 

Henry I. attended a great Assembly of the Barons then 

sitting in this city, and claimed the Crown of England. 

During this reign, Winchester arose to the summit of 

her glory, having a stately castle, high and strong walls, 



209 

and magnificent structures, and being occasionally the 
Royal residence. When Richard I. returned from the 
Holy Land, he was crowned in this city, although that 
ceremony had been performed several years before at 
Westminster. King John frequently kept his court 
here ; and his son, Henry III., who was born in the cas- 
tle, was called Henry of Winchester. In the reign of 
Edward III., Winchester was constituted one of the 
fixed markets for wool. Richard II. also, was crowned 
here ; and, in the year 1392, held a Parliament in this 
city. During the latter part of the reign of Charles II. 
he made Winchester his constant residence, when busi- 
ness did not require his presence in London. He pur- 
chased the site and remains of the ancient Castle, and 
began to erect a magnificent palace ; but, it was never 
finished. 

King James II. returning from his expensive tour 
through several parts of England, slept at the palace 
here. Upon this occasion, the Mayor and Corporation 
determined to address his Majesty, on the honour done 
them by his presence ; but, as the Mayor could neither 
read, nor write, it was agreed that the Recorder should 

act the part of his prompter. Accordingly, upon being 

p 



£10 

introduced into the Royal presence, and every thing 
being ready for the ceremony, the Recorder, by way of 
encouraging the Mayor, who appeared embarrassed, 
gently touched his elbow, and, at the same time, whis- 
pered in his ear, ' Hold up yoUr head ; look like a man.' 
The mayor, mistaking this for the beginning of the speech, 
stared the King boldly in the face, and, with a loud voice, 
repeated, ' Hold up your head ; look like a man.' The 
Recorder, amazed at this extraordinaiy exclamation, again 
whispered, < What the devil do you mean !' The Re- 
corder, chagrined at this, and fearing his Majesty's dis- 
pleasure, still whispering in the Mayor's ear, continued, 
* Zounds, Sir, you'll ruin us all,' which the Mayor think- 
ing to be a continuance of the speech, and still staring 
the King in the face, with a louder voice than before, 
repeated, ^ Zounds, Sir, you'll ruin us all !' The King, on 
this, finding himself thus rudely addressed, rose with some 
anger ; but, being informed of the cause, his Majesty 
was pleased to pass it over with a smile, 

WtHCfii* It appears that vines were formerly cul- 
tivated in this Kingdom to much greater extent than at 
present, and that great quantities of wine were made. In 



\ 

311 

Doomsday Book, it is stated tliat, at Rogona, in the 
< hundred of Rochford, there is a vineyard, contmn- 
* ing siiv arpents^ which, when it thrives, yields twenty 
^ modii of wine.' From many places in London bdng 
named Vine Street, Vine court. Vine Yard, &c., it is, 
evident that the Vine was much cultivated in that quar- 
ter of the Kingdom. 

CJrOtomfl t%t ^tOrttfUfl* An andem 
custom, still practised in some parts of the country, on 
the bridal night. 

** Wi%tn i^trttonjBi ^ote> 

** ^t ^&it to UXi, 
^* Wf^t fitX ba0 an t^tit obn." 

Clbe iSrittfi!]^ Con£(tttQtton, iike almost 

every other European constitution, is of Gothic deriva- 
tion, the original of which was of a free and legal nature ; 
the regal, aristocratical, and democratical rights being all 
happily blended, and equitably secured. Wild, there* 



212 

fore, and unlettered as the founders of our constitution 
were, it was certainly the most perfect and secure model 
of government, that human wisdom and virtue could be 
capable of framing. The want of science and literature 
itt the first stages of its progress, in all countries" in 
which it was adopted, deprive us of any authentic [and 
satisfactory accounts of its early changes. This, how- 
ever, we do know, that our constitution was much reform- 
ed and strengthened by the wisdom of oiir Saxon King 
Alfred. Our Danish and Norman Kings acted chiefly 
as conquerors, and governed by prerogative, although 
several of them pretended to acknowledge and restore to 
the people the rights of their Saxon constitution. At 
length, the Saxon line of Kings obtained the sovereign 
power, and brought back with them their former go- 
vernment, though it was considerably weakened by Nor- 
man regulations. jEowevejr, the constitutional struggles 
that ensued for a considerable time afterwards, principal- 
ly took place between the Crown and Barons, concern- 
ing the legal ^nd a;ristocratical rights. They were con- 
tii^ued even tp the .reign. of H^nry VII. Nevertheless, 
iidward I. and Ecjward III, favoured the democrate 
iifM-f^f^s^, by pa^ng .some-wise law3, notwithstanding 



which, the Commons, except in the great cities artd 
chartered towns, were considered as little bettier than 
Villains, or Vassals of the Lords, even not excluding 
the order of Knights or Gentlemen, who were bound 
to great subjection, by the nature of their military, 
tenures. ^'j 

From the Conquest down to the reign of Henry VII. 
the fundamental principles of our constitutioU were fre- 
quently recurred to, and the spirit of it was often asserted, 
and enforced, by explanatory laws, miany of which were 
obtained by the last and desperate expedient, a recourse.tot 
arms. But, as Lord Bolinbroke observes, « the consti*^ 
tutional and commercial faces of public affairs greatly 
altered in Europe during the time of Henry VII. par- 
ticularly with respect to England, France, and Spain ; 
principally by the power gained by the Commons of Eng- 
land from the permission that was then given to the 
Barons, for alienating their land ; the uniting of the great 
fiefs, or sovereign principalities, to the crown of France; 
and the discovery of America by Spain, with the great 
supplies of riches that followed thereon.' 

The Stuart family, on tlie other hand, endeavoured to 
crush privilege by prerogative, and to set the royal will 



214 

above the law ; hence, the calamities which they afterwards 
suffered, are entirely to be ascribed to this cause. To our 
ancestors having resolutely recurred to the original prin- 
ciples of our government, and having asserted them by 
an open appeal to force, we owe the happy preserva- 
tion of our constitution. 

dUmrg a^aiU Essex, is supposed to be the 
place where the Emperor Claudius crossed the Thames, 
in pursuit of the Britons. In this parish is a field, call- 
ed. Cave-field, in which is a horizontal passage to one of 
the spacious caverns in the neighbouring parish of Chad- 
welL Of these, Camden has given a sketch, in his 
Britannia. 

9!29i]^lll(£(* Blackstone states, as an ancient per- 
quisite of the Queen, that, on the taking of a whale 
— ^which is a royal fish — on the coast, it shall be divided 
between the King and Queen, the head only being the 
King's share, the rest, the Queen's. The reason assigned 
by the ancient records, for this division, was, to furnish the 
Queen's wardrobe with whalebone. 



215 



WObU(C0f was first discovered by the Spaniards 
in the island of Jamaica, about the year 1520 ; introdu- 
ced into France in the year 1560 ; and into England, by 
Admiral Drake's fleet, which returned from their attack 
on the Spanish West India Islands, in the year 1586. It 
was afterwards cultivated in many parts of England, 
but, prohibited by an act of Parliament in the reign of 
Charles II. 

tlTOrtUrf, was occasionally inflicted in England, 
«o late as the year 1558 ; and was not entirely disused 
in Scotland till about the year 1690. 

(JTOrttlDSilL The copper mines of, are both numer- 
ous, and rich in ore, as are, also, those of tin. For the 
sake of these metals, its coasts were visited by the Phoeni- 
cians and Greeks, in very remote antiquity. They were 
known several centuries before the Christian era ; and 
have been worked ever since. As this county was one 
of the places to which the ancient Britons retreated, the 
Gaelic or Celtic language was long retained here, and has 
become only lately extinct. The miners have peculiar 



216 

laws and privileges, and all matters relating to them 
are determined in Courts, called Stanary Courts, with a 
progressive appeal to the Vice-warden and Lord-warden 
pf the Society of Tinners ; and from the latter, to the 
Duke of Cornwall in council. 

^grSntttlSS OF Egypt. These surprising monu- 
ments of antiquity, which baflSe the researches of the 
deepest antiquary to fix their origin with precision, are 
built upon a rocky bottom, at the foot of the high moun- 
tains which run along the ancient course of the Nile, and 
separate Egypt from Lybia. Various have been the 
conjectures how, and when, they were built ; but, it is 
generally supposed that they were raised fully 1200 years 
before the Christian era. There is no account, how- 
ever, in any author of credit, to explain the precise pur- 
pose for which they were erected. It may be presumed 
that they were intended for the tombs of their kings^ 
especially, since the indefatigable Belzoni's recent reseaches 
have, at length, discovered an entrance into them. There 
are many of these edifices, at a stUl greater distance with- 
in the desert, of which, very little notice is taken by 
travellers. 



217 



^ttStntf a writ which lies against a jury for 
giving a false verdict. In such case, the ancient law- 
was, that the Jurors'* meadows should be ploughed up, 
their houses thrown down, their woods grubbed up, and 
their lands and tenements forfeited to the King ; but, if 
the complainant should be cast, he was to be imprisoned 
and ransomed at the King's pleasure ; by statute, how- 
ever, the severity of this law was mitigated. 

dSrjPtnSl* For 2000 years, and upwards, this country 
has been governed, almost without interruption, by its 
own native Princes ; and with little deviation, in attire, 
morak, laws, customs, or manners. When, the King 
of France iiltrodueed silk stockings, which, about 18 
years afterwards, were adopted by EUzabeth of Eng- 
land, the peasantry of the middle provinces of China, were 
clothed in silks from head to foot. At this period, scis- 
sors, needles, pen-knives, and other little appendages to 
the toilet, were unknown in Europe ; and rude and ill- 
polished skewers usurped the place of pins. In China, 
however, the ladies had their paint boxes, their trinkets 
of ivory, of silver, of mother of pearl, and of tortoise-shell ; 



218 

and, whilst the nobility of England slept on straw, a pea- 
sant of China had his mat and his pillow, and the man 
in office enjoyed his silken mattress. Their language 
has no alphabet ; but, they write in characters which 
stand for words, or, rather, ideas. The revenues of the 
crown, are computed at 21 millions sterling yearly ; and 
their forces are said to consist of five millions of men in 
time of peace. 

(^I3£i^« The manufacture of glass was known very 
early ; but, glass, in a perfectly transparent condition, 
was reckoned so valuable, that Nero is said to have given 
^.50,000 for two cups with handles. When the exca- 
vations were made in the ancient city of Pompeii, which 
was buried by an eruption of Vesuvius, A. D. 79, the 
windows of some of the houses were found glaeed -with 
a thick kind of glass, which, however, was not transpa- 
rent In others, talc was substituted, split into thin 
plates. Glass windows were first introduced into Eng- 
land from France, about the year 1 180. In the begin- 
ning of the 14th century, from the Fabric-roll of Exeter 
Cathedral, it appears that both plain and coloured glass 
was brought from Rouen in Normandy, at the charge 



219 

of 8d per foot for the stained, and 4d. for the white glass. 
Bottles of glass were first made in England about 1557 ; 
and the first plate-glass manufactory in England, was 
established at Lambeth, 1674. 

^t* ^HtriCfe^jiTHE ORDER or, was instituted in 
the year 1783, and is the only order belonging to Ireland. 
It is the most magnificent in Europe. The installation 
takes place in the Cathedral of St. Patrick of Dublin. The 
robes of the Knights of the order are splendid, and the 
badge is three crowns united together on a cross, with a 
motto, Quis separabit, fastened by an Irish harp to the 
Crown Imperial. A star of eight points attaches it to the 
coat. 

^UCttOnSS* The first book-auction in England, 
of which there is any record, was in 1676, when the 
library of Doctor Searnan was- brought to the hammer. 
Prefixed to the catalogue, there is an address to the rea- 
der, saying , ' though it has been unusual in England to 
make sale of books by auction, yet it had been practised 
in other countries to advantage. For general purposes, 
this mode of sale was scarcely known till 1700. 



220 



\SUuf or (!ril, (Saxon), in compound words, and 
radig- in the simple, denote happiness or blessedness. 
Thus Eadward, Edward, is a happy preserver ; Edgar, 
happy power. 

• (§Ia£it01lI)tU'Bt Somersetshire. It is said ma- 
sons first came into England A. D. 60, and built the Mo- 
nastery here. It was the first Christian church in Britain, 
and, after being rebuilt in 1120, it was looked upon as 
the most magnificent Abbey in the world, and its do- 
mains and revenue were immense. It was anciently called 
Avalonia, or the isle of Avalon, into which no person 
whatever, not even a Bishop, or a Prince, was allowed to 
enter without leave from the Abbot, to whom this power 
was granted by Canute the Dane. There were 61 Ab- 
bots, who sat among the Barons in Parliament, and go^ 
viemed it successively for nearly 600 years. Richard 
Withing, the last Abbot, having refused to surrender 
his Abbey to Henry VIII. and acknowledge his supre- 
macy, was condemned at Wells, and carried, with two of 
his monks, on a hurdle, to the Tor, or St Michael's 
Tower, a high hill in the neighbourhood, where he was 



221 

hanged in his robes. His head was afterwards stuck up 
over the gate of his Abbey, and his body was quartered, 
and exposed in Hke manner at Bath, Wells, Bridgewater, 
and Ilchester. Extensive ruins of this immense range of 
buildings are still remaining. The curious structure, 
called the Abbot's kitchen, is yet entire, and is of a veiy 
unusual contrivance ; being built of stone, without any 
combustible material. 

The walls that remain, are overgrown with ivy ; and the 
aspect of the whole, is at once melancholy, and venerable. 

$atltamenti$« The parliament of England was 
instituted about the year 1215. From this period, 
the first dawn of our free constitution is to be traced. 
This memorable event took place on the occasion of 
Henry III. being made prisoner by the Barons and 
Clergy; who, unwilling to trust to a stipulation with 
him, and determined to secure their own power, and, at 
the same time, render their public treaty with him more 
permanently binding, called on the people of each county 
to send four Knights, as their representatives, for the pur- 
pose of new-modelling the Constitution. A Speaker was 
not appointed till the year 1259. Some suppose that this 



222 

officer did not exist earlier than 1317. Nothing is sjud 
of the Commons till 1265, nor is express mention made 
of the Lords and Commons earlier than 1337, when 
they were assembled at Eltham. The duty of a Mem- 
ber was long held to be a burthen, both by the electors, 
and the elected ; the latter always stipulating for a re- 
muneration for his trouble, the nature of which may be 
collected from the following ancient indenture, as com- 
municated to the Royal Antiquarian Society, in the 
year 1 755 : — 

* Thys bill indentyed, mead the VIII. day of Aprille, 
in the thridde yer of Kyng Edwaixi the fowrte, betwyn 
Thomas Peers and John Strawnge Esquyer, Wetness- 
yeth that the sayd John Strawnge grauntyth by these 
presents to been oon of the Burgeys for Donewch, at 
the Plement to be holyden at Wesmt. the XXIX. day 
of the sayd Mony th of Aprille, for the gwhych, gwehdyr 
it holde long tyme or schortt, or gwhedye it fortune to 
been Progott, the sayd John Strawnge grauntyth no 
more to takyn for hys wagys then a cade full of Heryng 
tho' to been dylivid be Xtenmasse next comyng. In 
Wetnesse hereof eythyr part to others Indentur inter 
Chawnxubilly her setys han sett day and yer above sayd.' 



I 



- Members of the House of Commons, originally receiv* 
ed wages from their constituents, the rate of which, in the 
reign of Edward III. was established at 4s. a day for a 
Knight of the Shire, and 2s. for a citizen or a burgess, 
which was psdd for the number of days the Parliatnent 
sat, including an allowance for their going from, and 
returning to, their respective homes, according to the 
distance ; and was continued to be received at so late a 
period as the Parliament after the Restoration. Two 
shillings a day, the allowance to a Burgess, was so con- 
aderable a sum in ancient times, that there are many 
instances where Boroughs petitioned to be excused from 
sending members to Parliament ; representing that they 
were unable to bear the expense ! 

From the 33d year of the reign of Edward III. and 
uniformly through the five succeeding reigns, the She- 
riffs of Lancashire returned to the writs of summons to 
Parliament, ' that there were not any cities or boroughs 
in the county of Lancaster, of which there were any citi- 
zens, or burgesses, who were accustomed, or ought to 
come to the said Parliament, neither could they by rea- 
son of their debility, and poverty.** 
The journals of the Lords were commenced in the 



2M 

teign of Henry VIII. A. I). 1509 ; but, those of the 
Commons, not till Edward VI.'s time. The Parliament 
in Ireland, by general representation, was first held in 
1613. In 1649, the Commons in Parliament abolished 
the house of Lords, as unnecessary ; and were violently 
dissolved themselves, by Cromwell, on the 20th of April, 
1653 : A part of them, however, met again on the 8th 
May, 1659, and it was called the Rump-parliament. 
The sufirages of Parliament do not appear to have been 
influenced by secret pensions, till the reign of Charles 
II. In November 1694, a bill passed for a triennial 
parliament ; but, this was changed in the year 1716, to 
septennial ones. 

The following particulars of the forms of proceeding 
in parliament, may, perhaps, prove interesting :— 

The house of Commons meets between three and four 
o''clock in the afternoon, and prayers are immediately 
read by the Chaplain. As soon as there are forty mem- 
bers in the house, the speaker takes the chair; but, if, 
at four o'clock, there be not that number, he immediately 
adjourns the House. In the house of Peers, three Lords 
make a house; and, very often, there are no more 
present, viz — The Lord Chancellor, the Chairman of 



S25 

Committees, and the Junior Bishop, who reads prayers. 
When a proposition is submitted to the House by the 
Speaker, it is called « putting the question/ The practice 
is, that a member, who has a proposition to make, shall 
put it in writing. He reads it, therefore, and dehvers it 
to the Speaker. When this motion is seconded, it is 
proposed by the Speaker to the House, and, till it is agreed 
to, or negatived, no other motion can be discussed, with 
the following exceptions — 1st, a motion to adjourn ; 2d, 
to read the order of the day; 3d, for the previous 
question ; 4th, for an amendment on the motion pro- 
posed. A motion for adjournment may be repeated any 
number of times. When a motion is made that the 
order of the day be read — that is, the Ust of the pro- 
ceedings which have been ordered to be taken into con- 
sideration on that day — ^it is employed to get rid of any 
proposition, to which the House may not wish to give 
either an affirmative, or a negative. When the previous 
question is moved, it implies that, on any proposition 
being submitted to the House, any member may demand 
that the House shall first decide whether, " the question 
be now put,**' (which is called moving the previous ques- 
tion) ; and, if the House decide " that it be now put,** 



^26 

the original motion falls to the ground. An amendment 
may be proposed on any question. The Speaker reads the 
original motion, and states that an amendment has since 
been proposed, and puts the question that the words 
proposed to be left out, or the words proposed to be in- 
serted, stand out of the question ; which is put to the vote. 
The mode of coming to a decision, is, by the Speaker 
desiring those who are for the motion, to say Aye ; those 
who are of the contrary opinion, to say No. He 
then asks ' which has it ?"* If any member contradict 
this, the House proceeds to a division. All Strangers 
are now ordered to withdraw ; two tellers are appointed 
for each side ; the Ayes are ordered to go into the lobby 
of the house, the Nos remaining : One teller of each 
party counts the numbers of those who remain in the 
house, the other two count those who went out, as they 
return through the door of the house. The numbers are 
then reported at the table ; and, in case of a difference, 
the House is counted again. If the numbers should be 
even, the Speaker has the casting vote. 

Augmentation. The court of, was erected 27th 
Henry VIII. when, by the suppression of the Monasteries 



227 

the revenue of the crown was augmented, and the office 
still remains, in which are many curious records, though 
the court has been long since dissolved. 

(iSU^It0ri^# This highly respectable religious sect 
was founded by George Fox, in the year 1664 ; and, in 
the same year, sixty of them were transported to Ame- 
rica by an order of Council. But, in 1696, theu' affirma- 
tion was allowed by Act of Parliament to be received, in 
certain cases, instead of an oath. In the year 1698, John 
Archdale, a quaker, being returned a member to Par- 
hament, the election was declared void, for his refusing 
to take the oaths. 

airmOrial MtUVilXQ^. The origin of the he- 
raldic science of blazoning coats of arms, has occasioned 
a difference of opinion among the learned ; some of whom 
have chosen to give them an antediluvian origin, while 
others derive them from the circumstance of the IsraeHtes' 
retreat from Egypt. Many other surmises have been 
advanced on this subject ; but, they are not of sufficient 
weight to overturn the fact that, of the seals, coins, and 
medals of all nations, from the earliest antiquity down to 



228 

the eleventh century, not one instance has been found of 
any piece exhibiting a device that could be termed a coat 
of arms ; nor, prior to that time, does any author allude, 
in the slightest degree, to the blazoning part of Heraldry. 
The armour of all nations of antiquity was calculated 
rather to display, than to conceal the person. In fact, 
it was not till the IGth and 11th century, when the Cru- 
saders, by annexing to the helmet, a beaver and vizard- 
covered the face, and this rendered heraldic devices, to point 
out the leaders of the different troops, absolutely neces- 
sary ; for, cased in complete steel, it was impossible they 
could have been otherwise known in the field, or distin- 
guished in the tournament. Sir Henry Spelman observes 
that the English had no Coat-armour till the eleventh 
century, after the reign of William the Conqueror. From 
the symbols assumed by the higher order of those who 
had enlisted under the banner of the Cross, and which 
were exhibited on their buildings, their glass windows, 
and in every place where they could be rendered conspi- 
cuous, have their posterity derived their armorial-bear- 
ings. In the reign of Henry VI. an inquisition was 
made of the Gentry throughout the Kingdom ; and a 
list of the names, then recorded, is preserved in the 



229 

Heralds' College. All such persons were then allowed the 
privilege of assuming armorial bearings ; but, the Yeo- 
men, and Franklins, or Freemen, were not. Coats of 
Arms must be hereditary, and not assumed ; or, they 
must be granted by the Earl Marshal of England, Lion 
King at Arms of Scotland, or Ulster, King of Arms for 
Ireland. By a Statute of the Scotch parliament, 1672, 
whoever shall assume arms without a regular title thereto, 
shall pay d£^.1000 to Lyon, and escheat to the King such 
goods as shall be marked with the same. 

^CCr^S^* ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ between the Houses 
of York and Lancaster, most of the great famihes Avere 
destroyed, or attainted ; and, on Henry VII.'s accession, 
only thirty Peers were left ; so that little opposition was 
made to the ambition of him or his son. In 1603, the 
peerage consisted of one Marquis, sixteen Earls, two 
Viscounts, and forty Barons. From this defect, flowed 
the subsequent ascendancy of the Commons in the reign 
of Charles I. 

3^^tnutCi^« Here a memorable battle was fought 
between the Allies, under the Duke of Marlborough and 



I 



£30 

the Marshal D'Auverquesque, and the French, under 
Marshal Villeroy and the Elector of Bavaria, in the 
year 1706. The Enemy lost all their baggage and ar- 
tillery, about 120 standards, 600 Officers, and 6000 pri- 
vate soldiers, besides about 8000 killed and wounded. 
Our loss did not exceed 3000 men. 

^HlU^322t Huntingdonshire, formerly famous for 
its wealthy Abbey, and hence called ' Ramsay the Rich.** 
Part of the gate-house yet remains, with a neglected 
statue of Aluin, the founder; the epitaph of whose 
tomb is reckoned one of the oldest English monumental 
inscriptions now extant. Aluin is there styled kinsman 
of the famous King Edward, Alderman of all England, 
and the founder of this abbey. 

^llgStr, is a production of the East. Some plants 
of the sugar-cane were brought from Asia to Sicily in 
the 12th century, and thence transported into Spain, 
whence, from the experiment of their cultivation failing, 
they were carried to the Canary and Madeira Isles ; and, 
at length, into the New World. 

Before salt was in use, sugar was eaten with meat, in 



231 

order to correct its putrescency. Hence, probably, the 
custom of eating sweet apple-sauce with pork and goos^, 
and currant-jelly with hare and venison. 

BomeiStic ^tructart^. The following cha- 

racteristics of tliese buildings from the commencement of 
the reign of Henry VIII. to the end of that of James I. 
are worthy of attention. The brick buildings of the age 
of Henry VIII. may be distinguished, by being chequer- 
ed with glazed bricks, of a darker colour than the rest 
of the fronts, which were generally built with bricks 
of a deep red, very hard and well burnt. The window- 
frames were sometimes of stone, but, very often of bricks 
moulded on purpose, and covered with strong plaister of 
stucco, imitating stone. During the reigns of Queen 
Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the ornaments of Grecian 
and Gothic architecture were frequently imitated in burnt 
clay, and placed in the front of the houses, and on the 
shafts of the chimnies. In James I.'s time, these ornaments 
began to fall into disuse The buildings of this period, 
were, in general, very badly executed, many of the 
walls being little better than rubbish, between two thin 
shells of brick : Some of them were filled with small 



232 

rough stones, mixed with clay instead of mortar, and 
others with turf or peat. 

The most satisfactory examples of the prevailing modes 
of building in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James 
I. may be seen in Hardwicke-Hall, Derbyshire ; Audley 
House, Essex; Longleat, Wiltshire; and Holland-House, 
Middlesex. 

i^ltltnS^ a district of a county. This term is a 
corruption of the old Saxon word (rithing, which, in that 
law, is said to be a third part of the province. The ex- 
isting division of the county of York, fully answers this 
definition. 

^lUltlCrlSintl^ The inhabitants of this country 
were converted to Christianity by the Irish monks, Co- 
lumbanus, Gallus, and others, at the beginning of the 
7th century. About the year 1030, the provinces, 
which now constitute Switzerland, began to be regard- 
ed as part of the German Empire. About the year 1300, 
the Emperor Albert appointed them an Austrian gover- 
nor, one Griesler, who, in the wantonness of tyranny, 
ordered the natives to reverence his hat set upon a pole ; 



233 

which, being, with proper spirit, refused by one William 
Tell, a noted marksman with the cross-bow, he was 
sentenced to be hanged, if he did not, at a certain dis- 
tance, shoot an apple from the head of his own son. 
Tell hit the apple with one of two short arrows ; and, 
being asked what the other was intended for, he answer- 
ed, * for the tyrant^s heart, if I had killed my son.' He 
was ordered to prison ; but escaped ; and, with some 
others, brought about a revolution, which produced the 
several independent states of the Helretic nation. 

2SlOC5CiStCl% in Kent. There is an Almshouse 
here for six poor travellers, who are suppHed with a sup- 
per, a bed, a breakfast, and four pence to carry them 
on their journey ; but, they are to stay no longer than 
one night : And it is remarkable that an inscription over 
the door, intimates that ' rogues and proctors are ex- 
cepted.' From the vicinity of Rochester to the great 
Waiting-Street road, which goes from ShooterVhill to 
Dover, there is reason to believe that the Romans pur- 
sued this course in their journies from the sea coast to 
London. A ferry was probably their mode of convey- 
ance across the Medway, as there is no evidence of their 



234 

having been a bridge at Rochester for many centuries 
aft^r they left Britain. The present narrow stone bridge 
was built in the reign of Edward III. chiefly at the 
expense of Sir John Cobham, and Sir Robert Knolles, 
out of the spoils they had taken in France. The Castle, 
a fine venerable ruin, stands on the spot, where, most 
likely, the Romans had a fortress ; as there can be no 
doubt that Rochester was one of their stipendiary stations. 
A great variety of Roman coins has, at different periods, 
been dug up within the district. 

®i) tVlfCd of counties, were first nominated in the 
year 1709. The present mode of appointing them has 
been followed since about the year 1461. Anciently in 
England, ladies were sheriffs. Fifty Sheriffs of London 
were appointed in one day, in the year 1734, thirty-five 
of whom paid their fines. 

^tltlvUrS^ was one of the first seats of the 
Flemings, who were brought over by Edward III. to teach 
the EngUsh the art of manufacturing their own wool. It 
became, in consequence, very populous. 



235 

^nbC^^tlC^^^ large portable hurdles, behind 
which, the archers and bow-men were formerly posted. 
According to Froissart, these hurdles were used long be- 
fore the reign of Philip Augustus, King of France. 

^fpuUftral Moniimentsi. Few, if any, of 

these monuments now remaining in this country, are of 
an earlier date than the Norman Conquest. The number 
is not considerable of those which occur between that 
era and the time of Henry III. They become more 
frequent in the reigns of the two first Edwards, and are 
very numerous in the reign of Edward III., continually 
augmenting as we approach the present period. The 
earliest Tombs of persons of consequence were formed 
by the stone coffin in which they were interred, the bottom 
part of which being only sunk in the ground, the lid, 
or covering-stone, was seen above, on which were carved 
rude figures, according to the state of the arts at the 
time : These were often half-lengths, or only heads. To 
this custom, succeeded the table monument, supporting 
Effigies, probably first introduced in the 13th century. 
Next, succeeded tombs with arches over them, designed 
to shield from injury the costly sculpture they covered. 



236 

This was probably introduced about the beginning of 
the 14th century. The sculpture usually placed on 
tombs during this and the succeeding century, generally 
consisted of images of the individual, and his wife, and 
children, with Saints and other objects, on the sides, upon 
which, much painting and gilding were bestowed, even 
although the material was marble, or copper. In process 
of time, it was found that these arched monuments took 
up too much room, even in the most spacious Cathedral, 
on which a method was devised for palliating the incon- 
venience, by annexing Chapels to the churches, for the 
purpose of containing such monuments. These Chapels 
had doors which led out of the side aisles ; but, they were 
only separated from the Church by iron work. Monu- 
mental stones, inlaid with brass, and sometimes elaborately 
worked, were extremely common, from the 14th century, 
to the time of James I. After the reign of Edward 
VI. we find, in the inscription on these plates, the old 
Gothic square letter changed into the Roman round hand. 
Monuments that were either let into, or fixed against, the 
pillars of Churches, appear to have come into use after 
the Reformation. Recumbent figures on tombs, con- 
tinued in fashion until late in the 17th Century. 



237 

In considering ancient monumental commemorations, 
the locality is an object deserving of attention. The porch 
was frequently the spot appropriated to the sepulture of 
the founder of a religious structure. Leofric, Earl of 
Mercia, and his Countess, Godiva, were buried in the 
porch of the Abbey-church at Coventry, which they 
themselves had founded. It was a customary act of 
devotion, in the ancient Religion, for all persons, on 
their entrance into churches and religious houses, to pray 
for the souls of the founders and benefactors. The heads 
of the religious houses were generally buried in their 
chapter-houses, or their cloisters ; and Rectors or Vicars, 
in the close vicinity of the altar, or in the chancel of the 
church to which they belonged. Lords of Manors and 
Patrons were often interred in the chancel, and sometimes 
within the r^ls. 

Funeral inscriptions on the tombs of the Dead were 
used by the Greeks, merely with the intention of giving 
the name of the deceased, with the simple addition of 
Goodman, or Good-woman, The Athenians gave only the 
name of the dead, to which was added that of his Father 
and his Tribe. The Romans placed at the top of their 
Epitaphs, ' Diis Manibus,' which was sometimes expressed 



S38 

only by halves. The oldest funeral inscription that has 
been found in England, is one of King Arthur, on a leaden 
plate, which was discovered in his coffin. A few inscriptions 
of a similar kind, have been met with, dated in the 11th 
and 12th centuries. It was customary, in the reign of 
Henry III., to fasten plates of lead, with inscriptions, 
on the breast of the parties interred. 

Among the most remarkable monuments in English 
Churches, may be noticed those which represent, on an 
upper story of an altar tomb, the deceased, and in the 
lower compartment a skeleton, or emaciated human 
body. Such moral sepulchral devices, were chiefly raised 
to ecclesiastics. 

A monument adorned with armorial bearings, cannot 
be older than the latter end of the 11th century ; as 
arms were not used in England before that period. In 
fact, the first instance of quartering arms by any subject, 
was given by John Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, who 
followed the example of King Edward III. Indeed, few 
persons in England quartered arms before the year 1328. 

Monuments, with supporters to coats of arms, mark 
them to be of date subsequent to the time of Richard II. ; 
that prince being the first who used them. 



239 

Till the time of Henry III., the heads of the Peers 
were not adorned with coronets. John of Elthara, se- 
cond son of King Edward II., who died A. D. 1334, 
and is buried in Westminster Abbey, wears a coronet 
with leaves, which is the most ancient of its kind. 

Where the arms of France contain only three fleurs 
de lis, the monument has been erected since the reign of 
King Henry V. ; for, before that time, they were semee 
with those flowers. 

iSlOman (S^mptre, comprehended Spain, Por- 
tugal, France, Saxony, Switzerland, England, the Elec- 
torates of the Rhine, Leige, Luxenburgh, Hainault, 
Flanders, Brabant, Italy, Naples, the Mediterranean 
isles, Bavaria, Austria, Lower Hungary, Selavoma, 
Turkey, Thrace, Macedonia, Greece, Asia-Minor, Lyria, 
Phoenicia, Palestine, and the western parts of Africa, a 
vast tract of country, extending above 2000 miles in 
breadth, and fully 3000 in length ! Constantine, the 
founder of Constant nople, was the first Christian Em- 
peror : Theodosius was the first who professed his belief 
in the Trinity. The Senate and the people acknowledged 
Charlemagne, King of France, as Emperor of the West ; 



240 

and he surrendered the city of Rome to the Pope, reserv- 
ing the sovereignty to himself, A. D. 800. The Popes 
afterwards made themselves and the city independent. 

2!2iapentafee, a hundred, being the Saxon divi- 
sion of the districts in a county, containing ten tithings, 
or a hundred men, who were under an Alderman ; and, 
on swearing to follow him faithfully, and to serve their 
Prince with fidelity, accompanied the act, by each of them 
touching his spear, or weapon ; whence, the name. 

dTnuOlirjJ, constituted the principal amusement 
of our Ancestors. In that day, a man of rank scarcely 
went out without being attended by his Hawk ; and 
they were generally drawn with their favourite bird perch- 
ed on their hand. In the reign of Edward III. it was 
made felony to put a hawk to death ; and to steal the 
eggs, imprisonment for one year. In the time of James 
I. Sir T. Monson is said to have given £.1,000 for a 
cast of hawks. So expensive, indeed, was this amuse- 
ment, that it was confined to Royalty, and men of high 
distinction. 



^41 

ItttttertoOrtft, Leicestershire. John Wicklitf; 
the famous reformer, was rector of this parish. He died 
in the year 1385, and was buried here ; but, his bones 
were taken out of his grave, and burned, forty years 
afterwards, by order of the Council of Constance. The 
pulpit in which he preached, is still preserved in its 
church. The Roman Waiting-Street, runs on the west 
side of the Town. 

•^ffliOnCQ* The study of coins and medals is of great 
importance to history. The Roman imperial coins, are, 
in particular, worthy of attention. The series begins 
with Caesar; and, of brass, there are three sizes, the 
large, the middle, and the small. The large forms a 
series of great beauty and vast expense ; as, from the 
great size of the portraits, and figures, it is the most im- 
portant of all the Roman coinage, and even exceeds the 
gold in value. 

The middle brass exceeds the former in number, but, 
does not present such elegance of execution ; hence, it is 
of much less value. In both series, there are many coins 
which relate to Britain ; such as the triumphal arch of 
Claudius, inscribed * De Britann ;* the coin of Hadrian, 

R 



2491 

Antoninus Pius, Commodus, and Severus, inscribed, 
• Victoria Britan.' 

The small brass series abounds with curious coins. 
Till the time of Valerian, and Gallienus, they are gene- 
Fall y scarce, but, afterwards, extremely common in the 
former periods. Portraits of tlie Emperors are rare in 
small brass. Some, however, are found among them, 
which occur in no other series. 

The series of large and middle brass are of two fixed 
and known sizes; the former, about that of our crown piece, 
the latter, of our half-crown ; although, after Severus, 
they gradually became smaller. But, the small brass 
takes in all the parts of the As ; and every brass coin 
not larger than our shilling, belongs to this series. The 
coins of Julius Caesar, in this size, are of peculiarly fine 
workmanship. They bear his portrait, and, on the re- 
verse, that of Augustus, or a crocodile, with Egyta capta. 
The latter are very rare and fine. Of Mark Antony, 
there are several ; and some with Cleopatra. Augustus 
occurs, with the reverse an Eagle, or a Temple, * Rom. 
et Aug.' Tiberius appears with the same reverse as 
Augustus^a temple, « Rom et Aug.' Caligula has Ti- 
berius, or Germanicus, for the reverse. Some of his 



24S 

coins have no portrait, but, only a cap of liberty, and 
S. C. Nero is particularly rich in small brass coins of five 
different sizes, all bearing his portrait. One of exquisite 
beauty, has for the reverse, a table ornamented with 
griffins, a laurel, and a beautiful vase, of which, the 
embossed human figures are so minute, and finished so 
surprisingly, as to stamp these coins the most exquisite 
of the ancient mint. The legend is, * Certam 28. I. N. Q. 
Rom. CO. sc' Another of Nero, has an owl on an altar, 
the reverse, a palm-branch — a most minute coin, highly 
finished. Another bears Apollo, or one of the Muses. 
After Nero, no small brass coins occur that can be attribut- 
ed to any particular Emperor, or traced with any degree 
of certainty, till the time of Vespasian, when we meet with 
some of that great man, with a portrait, and the reverse a 
caduceus. Others have for the reverse, a globe, and a 
helmet on the obverse. Others bear shields and spears, 
and on the reverse, a trophy ; or a palm tree, with the 
reverse, pontifical instruments. Titus appears with the 
reverse, a caduceus ; and another with Julia, his daugh- 
ter sitting, < Julia Augusta,' of Domitian ; one has his 
head, reverse a caduceus ; another a cornucopia ; one, 
the head of Mercury, reverse a caduceus ; another, dou- 



244 

ble the size of this, has Mars ; reverse a Coat of MaiL 
There are three sizes with the head of Minerva ; reverse 
an owl. One obverse gives a griffin holding a wheel ; 
reverse a tripod and kettle. Domitia, wife of Domitian, 
vies with her husband in the number and curiosity of 
her small coins. Some bear her head ; reverse a hamper 
of corn ; others, ears of wheat ; reverse poppies. Some 
a parrot, sitting on a palm-branch ; some a ship; others 
a tripod and serpent. Those of Nerva have a hamper 
of corn ; reverse a caduceus. Trajan occurs in two 
sizes with ' S. C Some bear an eagle ; reverse a thun- 
derbolt. Of Hadrian, the best has a ship, < Felicitati 
Avgvsti ;' others a table, vase, wreath, or harp ; or Sa- 
bina, his Empress. Pius has for reverses an eagle, an 
owl, and peacock, a club and caduceus crossed. Marcus 
the head of Jupiter Ammon. Varus, a captive, bound. 
Pertinax, the Emperor, sacrificing at an altar. After this, 
there are no real small brass coins, except those of ' Tra- 
janus Decius ;' reverse. Mars standing, * S. C. and Emili- 
an ;' till they become frequent under Valerian. Those of 
Julian II. and Constantine I. are exceedingly common. 

Of the silver imperial coins, very few Emperors are 
scarce, and the series is as complete, and much cheaper, 
than any of the brass ones. 



245 

Of English money, the series of silver pennies extends 
almost without any interruption, from Egbert to the 
present reign. The Kings, that are wanting, are, John, and 
Richard I. Of the former, there is only Irish money ; 
of the latter, only French. This set is the most length- 
ened sequence of one species of coins in the world. The 
Saxon penny weighs about S4 grains. From the Con- 
quest to the time of Edward I. the general weight of the 
penny is 22 grains ; so that a pound of silver was a 
pound both in weight and value. Silver half-pence and 
farthings were first struck by Edward I. about the year 
1280. The farthings ceased with Edward VI. the half- 
penny, with the Commonwealth. 

Until nearly two centuries after the Conquest, these 
silver coins were the only money of British Manufacture. 
Henry III. towards the end of his reign, coined a few 
gold pieces, which were so little circulated, that, until 
an accident brought the fact to light, in the year 1732, 
Edward III. had always been supposed the first of 
our Kings who coined gold money. The gold penny of 
Henry III. was of fine gold, and weighed two stirlings. 
In 1314, he struck gold florins, then worth 6s. but, 
now, intrinsically equal to 19s. in consequence of the 



246 

increased value of gold. During the same year, the No- 
ble was coined of 6s. 8d. In 1465, Edward IV. issued 
the Angel, stamped with the Angel Michael, and the 
Dragon, at 6s. 8d. and the Angelet, at 3s. 4d. The 
Noble having been reduced in size, Henry VI. restored 
it, increasing its value to 10s. under the new name of 
Royal. In 1485, Henry VII. issued the Sovereign of 
20s. and the double Sovereign of 40s. In 1527, Henry 
VIII. coined Sovereigns of 22s. 6d. and Ryals of lis. 8d. 
Angels of 7s. 6d. and Nobles of 6s. 8d. The gold 
crown of this King, is about the size of our shilling, and 
the half-crown, of a sixpence, but, thin, as all hammer- 
ed money was. The first gold coins which Edward III. 
issued, were thought to be overvalued, and, therefore, 
refused ; and, though a new coinage was made, in which 
the gold was undervalued, still, the people, unaccustomed 
to that metal, refused them, and they were ordered to 
pass only in large payments. In the year 1354, Edward 
III. coined groats, and half-groats of silver. Henry VII. 
coined shillings in 1503, and Henry VIII. first coined 
the crown of silver. The half-crown, sixpence, and 
three-pence were issued by Edward VI. Elizabeth, in 
1558, coined three-half-penny, and, in 1561, three-far- 



SI47 

thing pieces ; but, they were dropped in 1582. She 
also coined farthings of silver — for there was no brass, 
or copper money coined in England, before James. I. 

Henry VIII. debased the money of the Kingdom to 
the extent of 66 per cent. All his f^ll-faced money is of 
this description, but, his side-faced, or first coined, is good. 
The side-faced coins of Edward VI. are bad ; and his 
full-faced good ; being the last full-faced heads stamped 
upon English coin. Edward's base coin of 1547 is the 
first English money bearing a date ; and after this period, 
they are dated, James I. coined Rose-ryals of 30s. 
Spur-ryals of 15s. Angels of 10s. and Angelets of 5s. 
The gold crown and half-crown continued to this prince 
inclusive, and the crown, to his successor. Charles I. 
issued the same denomination of coins which his Father 
had done. The crown piece has the King on horseback, 
with his sword in his hand. He was the first Sovereign 
who placed the garter round the shield of his arms. The 
X. and XX. shilling pieces of silver, are peculiar to this 
King, and exhibit his Majesty's figure on horseback, like 
the crown piece. The Commonwealth struck 10s. and 5s. 
in gold ; and a copper farthing, with St. George's cross 
under a garland, 'England's Farthing ;' reverse < Foa 



S!48 

NECEssABY CHANGE.* Cromwell employed Simon, the 
most celebrated engraver of his time, to execute the dies 
for his crown, half-crown, shilling, sixpence, and farthing; 
a series of coins, which, in the execution, have never been 
equalled, and sell at very high prices, particularly the 
crown. In the year 1672, Charles II. issued copper 
half-pence and farthings, to a considerable amount. In 
the last year of his reign, were coined tin farthings, with 
a small piece of copper in the centre ; having upon the 
rim, * NuMMORUM Famulus, 1684.' This King was the 
first who coined guineas, and half-guineas. James II., 
issued farthings and half-pennies of tin, with his head, 
< Jacobus secundus.' His Irish half-pence are of copper. 
After he landed in Ireland in 1689, old brass guns, and 
other metal, were coined into money, to pay his troops 
with. William and Mary's coins have both their Ma- 
jesties' heads. They coined half-pence and farthings of 
tin, as well as copper. Queen Anne's coins by Croker, 
take precedence, next to Simon's, in the cabinets of col- 
rectors. Of her copper farthings, so few were struck, 
that they are preserved as great rarities. On one side, 
is her Majesty's head, ' Anne Dei Gratia ;' on the re- 
verse, 'Britannia,^ with the year 1713, or 1714, in both 
of which, they were issued. 



M9 

The most ancient Scottish money that has yet been 
found, is, the silver penny of Wilhara the Lion : And from 
his time to that of David II., no higher denomination of 
money was coined. David II. coined groats, haif-groats, 
pennies, and half-pennies in silver ; which denominations 
were in use till the death of James V. Mary coined Royals 
of 30, 20, and 1 shillings. James VI. coined money of 
the same denomination as the last reign ; together with 
merks, half-merks, quarter-merks, nobles, and half-no^ 
bles. The coins of Charles I. were nearly the same as 
those of his father. After the restoration, Charles II. 
coined a four-merk-piece, two merks, and half-merk ; 
and a dollar, 56 shillings value, a half-dollar, quarter- 
dollar, half-quarter, and the 1 6th of a dollar. The coins 
of Charles II. are milled money, and finely executed. 
James II. coined 40, and 10 shilling pieces. Those of 
King William were the same. Queen Anne coined only 
two sorts, a ten, and a five shilling piece. It is generally 
allowed that there was no gold coined in Scotland before 
1371, when, three different sorts, called St. Andrew's, 
were issued. James coined lyons and half-lyons. The 
lyon weighs 52 grains. James III. coined unicorns, and 
half-unicorns. James IV. had pieces called ryders, from 



250 

the impression of the King on horseback being on it. 
James V. issued pieces, minted from gold found in Craw- 
ford-muir, impressed with his effigy, wearing a bonnet on 
his head, and thence denominated bonnet pieces. Queen 
Mary'*s gold coins were the lyon, testoon, and the half- 
testoon; those of James VI., the rose-noble, the ryder, 
the angel, the half-angel, the jacobuses, the double-crown, 
and the thistle crown. Charles I. coined money of the 
sime denominations. Neither Charles II., nor James 
VII., coined any gold in Scotland. William III. coined 
pistoles and half-pistoles, from gold sent home by the 
Darien company, and thence called Darien pistoles. 
Copper money, generally known by the name of black 
money, was introduced into Scotland a century and a 
half before it appeared in England. The copper money of 
James II. III. IV. and V. were probably issued as groats, 
and half-groats, the largest of which pieces, is about the size 
of a shilling. Queen Mary coined placks, or four pennies ; 
and James VI. coined bodies, or two-pennies ; and hard- 
heads, or three-pennies. Charles I. did the same. Charles 
II. coined pennies, bodies, placks, and bawbees; the 
latter being dated 1677, 1678, and 1679 ; the others are 
seldom dated. William and Mary coined bawbees and 



251 

placks. It is to be remarked that tlie value and deno- 
mination of the ancient Scottish coins, are by no means 
accurately ascertained ; and, where the denomination is 
the same with the coins of England, the value, or cur- 
rency, was not the same, but agreeable to the standard 
in Scotland, before the union of the two Kingdoms. 

jL^t a very frequent termination in names of places. 
It is derived from leag^ Sax. a field or pasture. When it 
forms the termination to an adjective, or adverb, it is de- 
rived from Uck^ Sax. implying likeness, or the same 
nature or manner ;.as heaiily^ of the nature of a beast. 

^nttttlUS^ this art was brought from Greece to 
Italy, where it was much encouraged in the time of the 
Republic, and during the reign of the first Emperors. The 
art of painting in oil was not known till the beginning of 
the 14th century, when a Flemish painter, named John 
Van Eyck, discovered it. The first picture, executed in 
this manner, was an Ecce Homo, 1455 

ISrttlSSfi ;ffilttgCtim, It appears, from a re- 
turn laid before the House of Commons, that, since the 



252 

foundation of this national museum in 1755, the sums 
granted by Parliament for the purchase of works of art, 
of science, and of literature, have been laid out princi- 
pally in the following manner— 

1753. For the Sloan collection, . £.9J0,000 

The Harleian ditto . . 10,0000 

1772. The Hamilton collection of vases, . 3,410 
1805. The Townley collection of Statues . 20,000 
1807. The Lansdowne manuscripts . 4,925 

1810. The Greville minerals . 13,727 

1813. The Hargreave Library . . 8,000 

1814. The remainder of the Townley collection, 8,200 

1815. The PhigaUan marbles, . , 15,000 

1816. The Elgin marbles. . . 35,000 
1818. The Burney Library, . . 13,500 

The donations of individuals have been also most libe- 
ral and extensive. 

Of the Library of this Museum, the Cottonian M. S. 
relate principally to the history of this country, and 
eonsist of chronicles, chartularies, histories, &c. from the 
dissolved Monasteries; many of which are written in 



253 

the Saxon character. The Harleian M. S. contains topo* 
graphical descriptions, treatises on the antiquities, Jaw, and 
customs of this cou^-lry ; and general history of the prin- 
cipalities of Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. Sir Hans 
Sloane's collection is chiefly on Philosophy, Medicine, 
and Natural History. The papers of Dr Birch consist 
principally of extracts made from original works, and in- 
tended to illustrate many interesting parts of English his- 
tory, and biography. Wadox's extracts from records, in 
different public archives and libraries in England, de- 
signed to furnish materials for composing a feudal history 
of England, from the earliest period. Tomlinson's col- 
lection of pamphlets are composed of more than 2000 
volumes, published between the years 1640 and 1660, 
consisting of public orders, and relating to all subjects 
connected with that turbulent period of our history. 
These magnificent collections also contain a great variety 
of other matters, such as rare editions of the scriptures, 
theological works, ancient ballads, and plays. In 1757, 
George II. presented the Museum with 9,000 volumes, 
collected by his Royal predecessors, from the time of 
Henry VII. The Royal library, collected by George 
III. and most munificently presented to the nation by 



254 

his present Gracious Majesty, is singularly complete in 
all branches of science and literature, but principally in 
Classics, English history, Italian, French, and Spanish lite- 
rature, and scarce early-printed books of the 15th century. 
It is distinctly classed, and fully catalogued in 13 folio 
vols. The number of books in this library amount to about 
65,250, exclusively of 888 cases of pamphlets. The 
library of the museum already contained about 125,000 
volumes, yet, they are so different from those presented 
by His Majesty, that, after all, there will not be above 
21,000 duplicates. 

Strangers desiring admission to the reading rooms, as 
students, must send their applications in writing to the 
principal librarian, who, no objection occurring, obtains 
admission for them for a term not exceeding six months. 
Readers are allowed to take one or more extracts from 
any printed book, or M. S. but, no whole, or greater 
part of a manuscript is to be transcribed, without par- 
ticular leave from the trustees. 

(i^ltCi^Sini^ Rutlandshire. The first time any Peer 
of the realm comes within the precinct of this lordship 
he forfeits a shoe from the horse he rides on, to the lord 



^55 

of this manor, unless he commute it for money ; and it is 
worthy of notice that several horse shoes, some of them 
gilded, and of curious workmanship, are nailed on the 
Castle hall door, stamped with the names of the donors, 
and made very large in proportion. 

^SeiD^paperSi. The first Newspaper published 
in England, was entitled the English Mercurie, and is 
dated, July 28. 1568, one of which is preserved in the 
British Museum. The Gazette was first published at 
Oxford, August 22. 1642. They were published by 
Royal proclamation in 1680 ; and first subjected to a 
tax in 1713. One of the earliest country Newspapers 
was printed by a man named Moggridge, who used to 
insert the intelligence from Yorkshire under the head of 
Foreign News. There is no doubt that we were the 
first nation in Europe who adopted this means of infor- 
mation ; and that, to the wisdom of Queen Elizabeth, and 
her Minister Burleigh, at the epoch of the Spanish Arma- 
da, mankind is indebted for this source of gratification. 

im9ilpmQtt0t> famous for a great victory gained 
on the 11th September 1709, by the Allies, under the 



^56 

Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene, oyer the 
French, commanded by the Marshals Villars, and Bou- 
flers. In this battle, the Prince of Hanover greatly dis- 
tinguished himself. The French army amounted to 
120,000 men. They were in a fortified camp, with 
triple intrenchments, which were covered with hedges 
and trees laid across, and brisled so thick with cannon, 
as to render all approach to them almost impossible. 
The Alhes were nearly the same in number, and, favour- 
ed by a thick fog, erected batteries on each wing, and 
in the centre. At about eight o^clock, the weather 
clearing up, they commenced the action. The left of 
the Enemy was attacked with such vigour, that, in^ less 
than an hour, they were driven from their intrenchments 
by the Duke of Argyle ; but, on the right, the French 
fought the Dutch troops, under the Prince of Orange, for 
more than two hours, with an obstinacy that bordered 
on despair; but, seeing their left and centre had given 
way, and their General Villars dangerously wounded, 
they made an excellent retreat. This was the dearest 
victory the allies had ever purchased. About 20,000 of 
their best troops were killed in the action ; whereas the 
Enemy did not lose half that number, and retired at 
leisure. 



257 

^^rt^tl* England was first divided into parishes 
by Honorius, Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 
636 ; and the boundaries of them, as marked in Dooms- 
day Book, agree very nearly with the present division. 

(!FP tVU^ took its rise in England from the masks ; 
an entertainment usual in the reign of James I. The 
Opera was Italianised in the reign of Queen Anne, and, 
by the exertions of native and foreign Singers and Come- 
dians, has been continued ever since. 

^CtDOUt^^ Berkshire, Here a severe battle was 
fought between the forces of King Charles and those of 
the Parliament. The town was formerly eminent for the 
clothing manufacture. Jack of Newbury was a famed 
character as a clothier, in the time of Henry VIII. He 
is reported to have employed upwards of 100 looms for 
the weaving of broad cloth only. On the breaking out 
of the war with the Scots, he armed and clothed a regi- 
ment for the King at his own expense. 

iMUSiSrt* The Spaniards were the first who 

armed part of their Infantry with Muskets. At first, they 

s 



258 

were made of a ponderous size, and could not be fired 
without a rest. They had match-locks, and did execu- 
tion at a great distance. They were introduced very 
generally into our army about the year 1521, and were 
continued in use with the rest and match-lock, so late as 
the commencement of the Civil-wars. 



^StipCt* The first act of Parliament relating to 
Paupers, was passed in the reign of Henry VII. They 
subsisted on private benevolence till the time of Henry 
VIII. The present laws on this subject, are formed on 
the statutes passed in the S9th and 48d year of Queen 
Elizabeth's reign. 



(!5r{tn0K2^« ^^^ principal of these islands is called 
Pomona. The Town of Kirkwall is situated nearly in 
the centre of it, and is a very ancient place. The ruins 
of the Earl's and Bishop's palace are very superb ; and 
the Cathedral of St. Magnus is a fine Gothic building. 
These islands, in all probability, received their first inha- 
bitants from the North of Scotland ; who, perhaps, would 



259 

be drawn over to them for the purpose of hunting and 
fishing; and then form permanent settlements on the 
different islands. 

aaetoca^tle-ujpon-tirBne. Through this 

town ran part of that wall which extended from sea to 
sea, and was built by the Romans, to defend the Britons 
against the incursions of the Picts, after all their trained 
youth had been drawn from the Kingdom, to recruit the 
Roman armies. The castle, which is old and ruinous, 
overlooks the whole town. In 1239, King Henry III. 
granted the townsmen the first charter for digging for 
coal ; but, in 1306, the use of coal for fuel was prohi- 
bited in London by proclamation. This interdiction, 
however, was not of long continuance. 

In the year 1640, Newcastle was besieged by the 
Scots, under the command of Sir John Lessley, who 
addressed the following truly unique and characteristic 
letter to Sir Thomas Riddell of that town : — 
< Sir Thomas, 

Between me and God, it maks my heart bleed bleud, 
to see the warks gae thro' so trim a garden as yours. I 
have been twa times wi' my couzin the general, and sae 



^60 

shall I sax times mare afore the wark gae that gate : 
but, gin Si this be done, Sir Thomas, ye maun make the 
twenty pound threety, and I maun hae the tag'd tailed 
trooper (horse) that stands in the staw, and the little wee 
trim gaeing thing (clock) that stands in the neuk o"* the 
ha', chirping and chiming at the noon tide of the day, 
and forty bows of bear to saw the mains witha'; and as 
I am a chevalier of fortune, and a limb of the house of 
Rothes, as the muckle maun kist in Edinburg auld Kirk 
can weel witness, for these aught hundred yeres by- 
gaine, naught shall skaith your house within or without, 
to the validome of a twa penny chicken. 

I am your humble Servant, 

John Lessley, 

Major-General and Captain over sax score 

and twa men and some more ; Crowner 

of Cumberland, Northumberland, Mur- 

^ ray land, and Fife ; Bailie of Kircaldie ; 

Governor of Burntisland and the Bass, 

Laird of Libertine, Tilly, and Wolley ; 

Siller Tacker of Stirling ; Constable of 

Leith ; and Sir John Lessley, Knight, 

- to the boot of a' that!' 



^61 



iJ^HtltlC OF HONOUR. In the days of Chivalry^ 
the robe of honour was the greatest ornament that could 
be worn bj a Knight, when he was not armed. It waa 
of a bright scarlet hue, was very long, and was lined 
with ermine. When any gentleman was knighted, he 
received this robe of honour from the King himself. 

^0lt6» Before the reign of James II. in 1437, 
the Kings of Scotland generally resided at Perth, as the 
metropolis of the kingdom. 

^£itltr# The word Ostler, which now signifies 
only an attendant on horses, is derived from the French 
word Hosteller, a person who kept a house of entertain^ 
ment; and not, as some maintain, from oat-stealer, 
alluding to the propensity of those gentry to defraud the 
horses of their allowance. 

jMnlt^f is mentioned by Homer in his Odyssey, 
under the name of Hyperia. In process of time, it was 
taken possession of by the Greeks, from whom it passed 
successively into the hands of the Carthagenians, Romans, 



262 

Vandals, and Goths, Arabs, Normans, Germans, French 
and Spaniards, with whom it remained till the year 1530, 
when the Emperor Charles V. gave it to the Knights of 
St John of Jerusalem. (See Knights of Malta.) 

pOlCtlCrflf. In 1356, Edward the Black Prince 
gained a decisive victory over the French, near this town, 
taking King John and his son, Philip, prisoners, whom 
he afterwards brought over to England. 

©jrfOrU* The University is said to have been 
founded by Alfred, but, is generally supposed to have 
been a seminary of learning before his time, although it 
owed its revival and consequence to his liberal patron- 
age. About the middle of the 12th century, public 
lectures were read in the civil law, not more than ten 
years after a copy of Justinian's Institutes had been 
found in Italy. In the reign of Henry III. there were 
said to be 15,000 scholars, if they deserved that name, 
the sole object of many being only to read and write, 
while the greater number attained to neither, and the 
most learned acquired nothing beyond bad Latin and 
logic. 



263 

Mobility^* This word is understood to signify 
illustrious descent, and dignity of ancestors, with a 
succession of arms, conferred by the Prince, on some 
former individual of it, and descending from him to 
his family. In England, those only are called Nobles, 
who have the title of Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, 
Lord, or Baron ; which titles either descend to indivi- 
duals from family-right, are gratuitously conferred on 
them by the Prince, or are obtained by purchase. The 
hereditary tenure becomes equally firm in all these in- 
stances, although not equally estimable. 

i^(inOr« By the introduction of the feudal system 
every individual held his lands of some other person. 
The lesser gentry, for instance, were Lords of Manors, 
who, in their turns, also, had others depending upon them; 
so that a regular gradation down to the lowest proprietor 
of land was established ; and these estates were inalien- 
able. Respecting the origin of Manors, it seems that, in 
the beginning, an allotted compass, or circuit of ground 
was granted by the King to men of distinguished worth, 
as a place of future residence for them and their heirs, 
with the privilege of exercising a certain jurisdiction with- 



264 

in its limits. It is to be observed that neither Manors, 
nor Copyholds, are known in Ireland or Wales. 



i©3ty* Swearing on the Gospels was first used 
A. D. 528, and were first administered in this country 
judicially, by the Saxons in the year 600. The words, 
* So help me God, and all saints,' were introduced on 
administering an oath in this country, about the year 
1550. 

^^UnnO^ in Sicily. At about a mile distance 
from this City, is a celebrated Monastery of Capuchins, 
in which there is a vault made use of as a receptacle for the 
dead. It consists of four wide passages, each forty feet 
in length, into which the light is admitted by windows, 
placed at the ends. Along the sides of these subterra- 
neous galleries are niches, in which the bodies are placed 
upright, and clothed in a coarse dress, with their heads, 
arms, and feet bare. They are prepared for this situa- 
tion by broiling them six or seven months upon a grid 
iron, over a slow fire, till all the fat and moisture are 
consumed. The skin, which looks hke pale-coloured 



265 

leather, remains entire, and the character of the counte- 
nance is, in some degree preserved. 

iaOrinSittSjjft ^^^ ^^^* settled by a people of 
Denmark and Norway, who, having entered France under 
Rollo, obtained the grant of this country from Charles 
the Simple in the year 912. Rollo, was the first Duke, 
and held it as a fief of the crown of France, and several 
of his successors after him, till William the Bastard con- 
quering England in 1066, united it to the English 
throne. 

i^^nttCt^^ ANCIENT. The pride of our Ances- 
tors distinguished them from the vulgar, by a dignified 
taciturnity, and a gravity and solemnity of aspect, that 
were intended to denote wisdom, and importance. In Ben 
Jonson's play of ' Every man in his humour,' a country 
squire sets up for being high-bred, by resolving to be 
' proud, melancholy, and gentleman-like.' 

^SOtttngSant, takes its name from the Saxcm 
Snottengaham, or house of Dens, so called from the spa- 
cious vaults dug in the rock, in which the ancient Britons 



266 

are supposed to have resided. In one of these caves, 
Edward III. and his friends contrived to seize Roger 
Mortimer, Earl of March, who resided here with the 
Queen. 

dTramliUflliam, an old town of SufFolk, with a 
castle supposed to have been built by some of the Kings 
of the East Angles. The walls, yet standing, are 44 feet 
high, and 8 thick, with thirteen towers above them. 
Here the Princess Mary retired before her elevation to 
the crown, on the death of her brother Edward VI. It 
is noted for a large and stately church, built of black 
flint. 

^rOtlnttll* The advancement of Monarchy was 
retarded, and the reign of the feudal aristocracy prolonged 
in this Kingdom, beyond the period at which they pre- 
vailed in England, partly by the rugged and inaccessible 
nature of the territory, which surrounded every great 
Baron with a sort of natural barrier ; and partly, by 
the slow progress of those arts and manufactures, which 
were to raise his retainers into independence. The early 
history of the Scottish Parliament is involved in consi- 



267 

derable obscurity. For a period of two centuries, it was 
composed of the Barons, who sat there in their own right; 
of the dignified clergy ; and of a small number of bur- 
gesses. Never having been divided into two houses, the 
Barons possessed the whole legislative authority ; and 
though the institution of the ' Lords of the articles,' had 
a tendency to subject it to Royal influence, they treated 
their sovereigns in a rude and imperious manner. James I. 
revisited Scotland after he sat on the throne of England, 
and was, on his arrival, presented with 10,000 Scottish 
marks, in a silver basin. Charles I. visited his Scottish do- 
minions, and was led, in his better days, in great pomp, 
through streets hung with carpets, &c. Charles II. arrived 
from the Hague, not to enter in triumph, but, to be 
embroiled with the clergy about the Covenant. Nearly a 
century and a half had elapsed from this time to the 
period of his present Majesty's visit. 

ifft^lXCtf was conquered by the Romans 25 years 
before Christ. The Franks, from whom the French 
are derived, occupied part of Brabant 130 years before 
the reign of Clovis. Its first King was Pharamond, who 
began to reign A. D. 418. Clovis was the first Christian 



268 

King. In 481 , it was over-run by the natives of Ger- 
many, who crossed the Rhine. The Assembly called 
the States General, first met in 1302, and continued till 
1614. The English crown lost all its possessions in 
France between 1341 and 1359. 

S!%9HS£j^3ll^ a liquor made of roasted apples, sugar, 
and ale, with bowls of which, our forefathers were 
used to welcome in the new-year. 

'* TOiajSjQJatK ! ^llCaiSisatl ! aH oUv t|)e toJun, 
^^ O^ttt* toasst it t'jgi bi&tU> our aU it i^ iirolon ; 
^^ OPuv X)o£dI tt t'lS me^tat of a tnajilm tvtt, 
'' imu U goDtr mioh>^ a« : 3£ ^xinix to V^te:' 



WinihtV^ititfi, The universities of Oxford and 
Cambridge were first allowed to send Members to Parlia- 
ment by King James I. They were invested with the 
presentation of benefices belonging to Papists, in the 
year 1689. The University of Oxford was founded 
about the year 886 ; Cambridge, in 915 ; St Andrew's, 
in 1411 ; Aberdeen, about 1477. The University of 



269 

Glasgow, in 1450; of Edinburgh, in 1580 ; and that of 
Dublin, in 1591 

drraitCl^Cain^, a religious order of St Francis, 
founded by him in the year 1209. Before they are ad- 
mitted into the order^ they are obliged to sell all that they 
have, and give it to the poor ; they are to perform a novi- 
ciate ; and, when admitted, never to quit the order on 
any account. They are to fast from the feast of All Saints, 
to the Nativity. They had 63 Monasteries in England, 

2l2S||lt!^Untttl0* Its original name is Whittentide, 
the time of choosing the wits, or wisemen, for the Witten- 
agemote. Each village, in the absence of the Baron at 
the Assembly of the nation, enjoyed a kind of Saturnalia. 
The vassals met upon the common green, around the 
May-pole, and indulged in all manner of rustic sports. 
The May-pole was then the English tree of liberty. 

idFttlt(l*3l£i* Funeral orations were customary 
among the Romans, and in use among the Greeks. The 
Roman custom, was, to have the funeral orations deli- 
vered in the Forum Romanum, where the funeral-parade 



270 

stood. The speech began with expatiating on the great- 
ness of the deceased's ancestors ; the antiquity of Ms 
family ; his liberality, and the services he had rendered 
to the Commonwealth, both in time of peace, and in 
war. Augustus, when only twelve years old, made a 
public speech in praise of his Grandmother ; and, even 
when Emperor, pronounced another oration in praise of 
his Nephew, Germ aniens. Tiberius, after being raised 
to the imperial dignity, delivered a funeral speech in 
praise of his son. 

8!!3H^U^« The ancient inhabitants of England, hav- 
ing been driven before the conquering Saxons, took re- 
fuge in Wales, where they and their descendants sturdily 
maintained their rights and independence for ages. This 
circumstance has contributed not a little to exalt their 
notions of family grandeur, and to render them boastful 
of their birth. Wales was the name given to the country 
by the Saxons, after they had driven the Britons there. 
The Welsh call their country Cymry, and their language 
Cymreag. They term the English Saisons, i. e. Saxons. 
Their last Prince, Lewellin ap Griffith, lost his life in de- 
fence of his country, when Edward I. conquered it, A. D. 



271 

1283. It is impossible to contemplate without applause 
the heroism of the gallant defenders of this principality. 
Destitute of all succours, spurning foreign alliances, and 
without a naval power, they maintained their indepen- 
dence for more than 800 years, and often poured de- 
struction upon the Kings of England, whether of the 
Saxon, or the Norman race, many of whom had attempt- 
ed to subdue them with forces infinitely superior in num- 
bers to any, that they could bring against them. 

It appears, from Tacitus, that the Consuls Censonius 
Pcetus, and Petronius Turpilianus, met a complete over- 
throw in their attempt upon the Silures, (the inhabi- 
tants of South Wales) ; and that, although Suetonius 
Paulinus turned his arms against the ordevices ; (North 
Wales), and conquered Mona, he found it a task of con- 
siderable difficulty to retain his conquest. 

It was not till the reign of Henry VIII. that all the 
laws contrary to those of England, were abrogated by 
Act of Parliament. The number of Members to be sent 
to Parliament, and the circuits for administering justice, 
were also settled in that King's reign. 

Among the ancient Welsh, was an order of men, call- 
ed bards, who composed songs, relating the actions of 



272 

their heroes and other illustrious characters. Edward, 
very cruelly, however, caused them all to be put to 
death. 

^0tlDlC&^ was taken from the Scots, and annexed 
to England, in 1333. It was retaken by the Scots, in 
1354; by the English, 1356; by the Scots, 1378; by 
the English, same year ; by the Scots, 1384 ; by the 
Enghsh in the following year. It surrendered to Crom- 
well in 1648, and was secured by General Monk in 
1659. The language and laws of the Town are a mix- 
ture of Scotch and English. 

35trb)lCfe ^20tt5, in the county of Haddington. 
Near this place. General Cope was defeated by the Re- 
bels in 1745, and made his escape to Berwick-upon- 
Tweed. The ancient castle of Tantallan, is situated about 
two miles from the town. 

^ablSatlOtt* To the Phoenicians is attributed 
the glory of having made the first progress in Navigation. 
By then: fleets which they created, they rendered mari- 
ners Princes, and the barren rock of Tyre, the empo* 



217a 

rium of the world. Their navies visited Cyprus, Crete, 
Italy, Spain, Gaul, and the British Islands. The Greeks 
received from them their first ideas of naval affairs, and 
the form of the Argo, or long ship. The Romans form^ 
ed their navy from witnessing that of Carthaginia ; and 
the Portuguese copied from the Caravels of the Italian 
States. 

3$ll)u« The translation of it was begun very early 
in this kingdom. Some part of it was done by King 
Alfred. Adelmus translated the Psalms into Saxon, in 
709. Other parts were done by Edfrid, or Egbert, 750 ; 
the whole, by Bede. In 1357, Trevisa published the 
whole in English. TindaPs translation appeared in 1834 ; 
was revised and altered in 1538 ; published with a preface 
of Cranmer's, in 1549, and allowed to be read in churches. 
In 1551, another translation was pubHshed, which, 
being revised by several Bishops, was printed with their 
alterations in 1560. In 1613, a new translation was 
published by authority, which is that in present use. 
There was not any translation of it into the Irish lan- 
guage till 1685, The Pope did not give his permission 
for the translation of it into any language till 1759. 

T 



^U: 



Kl/OtlXt^&f Devonshire, is 3upposed to be one of 
the most ancient towns in the kingdom. The Roman 
fossway, extending from north to south, through Devon- 
shire a«d Somersetshire, began here^ > 



^tOltfjPtttSf^ a remarkable monument of anti- 
quity, situated on Salisbury Plain, and generally sup- 
posed to have been a British temple, in which the Druids' 
officiated. The whole structure was composed of 140 
stones. The upright stones are from eighteen to twenty 
feet high, from six to seven feet broad, and about three 
feet in thickness ; and, being placed at the distance of 
three feet and a half from each other, were joined at the 
top by others laid across, thus uniting the whole into 
one circular range. The stones are supposed to have 
been brought from Marlborough Downs ; but, the dif- 
ficulty of bringing them hither, and especially, laying 
them one upon another, is inconceivable ; as scarcely any 
mechanical powers now known, would be sufficient to raise 
those that lie across, to their present extraordinary 
situation. 



ms^ 



i!£l3C&(m(til^ in Montgomeryshire. Here Owen 
Glendour, in 1402, accepted the crown of Wales, and 
assembled a Parliament. The house in which they met, 
is still standing, and is divided into tenements. 

(i!^iO(U« The first pendulum clock made in Eng- 
land, was constructed in the year 1622, by Fromantel, a 
Dutchman. Repeating-clocks and watches were invented 
about 1676. Till about 1631 , neither clocks, nor watches, 
were very general. 

tlTOtttnaiinttttSf, an exercise of honour, in 
which Princes and gentlemen, in former times, gave ^ 
public display of their dexterity and courage. They 
were well mounted on horseback, clad in armour, and 
accoutred with lance and sword. They first tilted at one 
andther, and then, drew their swords, and fought hand 
to hand : But, the points of the lances and swords were 
broken off, to prevent any fatal accident. Notwithstanding 
this precaution, frequent mischiefs occurred, in conse^- 
•quence of which, the Pope prohibited all sorts of tour- 
p^ments, under pain of excommunication. They were 



^16 

finally abolished in France in the year 1560, and, with 
them, fell the ancient spirit of chivalry. Between the 
»ge of Edward III. and Henry VIII. chivalry had 
languished in England, but, with the latter, Tournaments 
were renewed with the greatest splendour. The elegance, 
the pomp, and circumstance of war, fascinated the youthful 
ideas of Henry VIII. The most accomplished cavalier in 
this country, was, the Duke of Suffolk. This gallant 
Nobleman had been successful in several Tournaments, 
fead enchanted Princesses, had been raised from the sta- 
tion of Squire-of-the-body to the King, to the highest 
dignities. He had shone with uncommon lustre in the 
courts of France, and Flanders ; was the principal object 
ki the splendid masks, tilts, and revels, that were given 
in England ; and possessed that romantic passion, that 
kifid of superlative gallantry, which rendered him the 
thfeme of universal admiration. It is little to be won- 
dered at, therefore, that Henry should become attached 
to him ; and still less so that his sister, the Princess 
Mary, should conceive a most intense pasaon for him 
feng before she was made a political sacrifice to Louis 
XII. King of France. Violent, it has been said, was the 
I'esistance, which the Princess made to this match. In 



277 

favour of her lover, she braved the fury of her relentless 
brother. But, here she was foiled. She was opposing a 
man whose attachment to his own opinion is well known ; 
and, although the spirit of the lovely Mary was nearly 
equal to his own, y€t, after having goaded the Monarch 
almost to madness, she at length reluctantly yielded to 
Jiis wishes. The last article which she insisted on, was, 
that Suffolk should attend her. To this, however, Henry, 
—who knew the man, and, indeed, the woman too — pe- 
remptorily withheld his consent. In consequence of this 
refusal, the Duke stole away in disguise, and followed 
.his beloved Princess to France, in spite of the denuncia- 
tions which the enraged Monarch sent thundering after 
him. 

The Duke's enemies now endeavouredito alienate the 
affection of his Sovereign from him : But, their machi- 
nations had little effect ; for, Henry declared that he 
thought Charles had done a very spirited thing, and that 
if he had been in his situation, he should have acted just 
the same himself! 

When the Duke arrived at Paris, he still continued his 
disguise, and appeared at the magnificent Tournament 
that was celebrated at St, Dennis, on the joyful occasign 



278 

of the Royal nuptials. As a stranget Knight, in black 
armour, he was known to no person but the Queen, who 
recognised him by a small white scarf which he wore on 
his arm : For, this scarf she herself had worked for him, 
and had presented to him. Glowing with all the anima- 
tion which the sight of the lovely object, the desire of 
vengeance, and his jealousy inspired, the Duke of Suf- 
folk was irresistible. He flew like lightning against the 
Due de Vendome, whom he overturned in an instant ; 
the Count de St. Pol shared the same fate ; and accla- 
mations are said by the French historian, to have rent 
the skies. The Due d'*Angouleme himself next ap- 
proached ; but, expectation had scarcely time to respire 
before he was unhorsed ; at the same instant, however, 
his conqueror^ was discovered. Whether accident or 
vanity induced Suffolk to raise his beaver, is uncertain ; 
but, the moment he was known, he was conducted to the 
Queen, to receive the prize which his valour had most 
indisputably obtained. This was a trying moment for 
Mary ; and, accordingly, she is said to have fainted. 
She, however, recovered sufficiently to introduce him to 
the King, who received him with the greatest politeness 
and respect. 



S^79 

Louis XII. had, in the former part of his reigiij Ac- 
quired great glory ; but, was at this time, advanced in 
years. At all events, he was certainly more than twice the 
age of his wife. Yet, he possessed a strong constitution, not- 
withstanding which, he only survived this wedding eighty 
days, a considerable part of which, the Duke of Suffolk 
had passed in attendance on the Queen. Whether the 
Due d'Angouleme, afterwards Francis I. judged of 
others by himself, or, had any real cause for suspicion, 
Mezerai asserts that he took care Suffolk should be nar- 
. rowly watched, lest he should give the King a successor. 
Two months after the death of the Monarch, his young and 
beautiful widow was led to the altar by the gallant Suffolk. 
Henry stormed at the indelicacy of their conduct, as he 
termed it, and threatened Suffolk ; but, the lovely 
Duchess boldly opposed his rage, and averred that if there 
were any blame in the case, it ought to be laid to her 
charge, for, it was she who had absolutely courted the 
Duke. 



[^ in Lower Saxony. In the Ca- 
thedral of this city, is a superb mausoleum of Otho the 
Great The town was t^ken by storm in 1631, by the 



280 

imperial General Tilly, who burnt it, and put almost all 
the inhabitants to the sword : For, only 800 escaped out of 
40,000. During this horrid massacre, many young women 
actually plunged into the Elbe, to escape violation. 

dTOtfjCriltflagt Northamptonshire. Here are the 
ruins of a very ancient castle, in which King Richard 
III. was bom, and in which the unfortunate Mary, Queen 
of Scotland, was confined, and beheaded, on the 18th Feb- 
ruary, 1587, in the presence of four noblemen, and 400 
spectators. By order of James I. the castle was so com- 
pletely demolished, that only the earth-works remain. 

^Cbtn« Carnarvonshire. Here Edward I. in 1284, 
on the conquest of Wales, held a round table, in imita- 
tion of King Arthur, and celebrated it with a Dance and 
Tournament. The concourse was prodigious ; for, not 
only the chief nobility of England, but, also numbers of 
others from foreign parts, graced the festival with their 
presence. 

iMaSna CSarta, the great charter of the laws 
and liberties of England, Although former charters 



281 

had been obtained from Stephen, Henry II. and King 
John, the one understood by this term was granted in 
the 9th year of Henry III. and was confirmed by 
Edward I. with remarkable solemnity ; and excommuni- 
cations denounced against the infringers of it. 

dfUrttC^Si^ Lancashire. A Roman road is still to 
be seen in its course through Furness, and, at present, is 
named Red Lane. This continued the only great road 
through Low Furness, till the dissolution of Monasteries, 
when, hospitality ceasing at the Abbey — of which stately 
ruins still exist, not far from it — a new road was made 
from thence to the sands. Upon the enclosure of lands 
in the neighbourhood of this Roman road, the fences in 
some places were made with the stones of the pavement. 
The situation of the Abbey was very convenient for its 
ascetic residents. The roads to it in ancient days being 
little frequented, secured the country, in some measure, 
from the devastations of war, and the intrusion of free- 
booters, who lived on the frontiers of England and Scot- 
land ; whilst those Abbeys that were founded in an open 
country, especially on the north of the Humber, and 
Severn, were, on every rupture between the two nations, 



282 

subject to pillage. The site of the Abbey is gloomy and 
romantic, in the centre of a deep narrow vale, which 
stretches from north to south. The buildings extend 
the whole breadth of the valley, which is so covered by 
the high grounds and eminences that surround it, that 
it cannot be seen at a distance. For the space of four 
centuries, it had been improving, by the labour of the 
monks, and the encouragement shewn to their tenants 
and vassals ; but, their dissolution over-cast all these pleas- 
ing scenes. The large demand for provisions of all kinds, 
occasioned by their hospitality, and the crowd of people 
resorting there, instantly ceased. 

iSatlOnal Scfit The first debt contracted on 
Parliamentary security, occurs in the reign of Henry VI. 
The present debt commenced, and, was five millions, in 
the year 1697. 

iHattli^tOnt^ in the time of the ancient Britons 
was reckoned their third city, having been a station of 
the Romans. Here is a manufacture of Linen Thread, 
first introduced by the Flemings, who fled from the Duke 
of Alva's persecution. . 



283 

^CttllC£it were first made in London by a negro 
from Spain, in the reign of Queen Mary ; but as he died 
without teaching the art, it was lost, until a German in- 
troduced it again in the year 1566. 

IPOl^toCU, Flintshire, takes its name from the 
famous well, called St Winifred's, the story of which 
is related in the Golden Legend, printed by Wynken de 
Worde in the year 1512. Over the spring, there is a 
chapel, built by the Countess of Derby, mother of Henry 
VII. which stands upon pillars ; and, on the windows, 
is painted the history of St Winifred's life. The cold 
bath, is covered with a beautiful Gothic shrine. By a 
decree of the Court of Chancery, the Holy-well is thrown 
open to the public. 

S^SlCOulUCt a white Friar, a name given to those 
persons who, at the commencement of the French revo- 
lution, formed themselves into a club, which met at the 
church of St Jacob in Paris. 

S^Ottl^ (from hJqfordj Sax. a giver of bread ; 
^ alluding to the hospitality of our ancient nobles, after- 



284 

wards written Iiford, and thence contracted into lord, 
from hlqf, Sax. a loaf of bread, and Jbrd, Sax. to supply)^ 
a person invested with sovereign power over others : a 
master. This title of honour is given to those that are 
noble, either by birth, or creation, and invested with the 
dignity of a Baron. By courtesy, it is applied to all 
sons of a Duke or Marquis, the eldest son of an Earl, 
persons in honourable offices, and, in ancient times, to 
one that had a fee, and, consequently, could claim homage 
of his tenants. 

fll^ti^^ were invented at Paris by a Swiss, in 1404, 
and first worn in England in the time of Henry VII. 
The custom of taking off the hat, in our present mode 
of salutation, originated in the days of chivalry, from the 
Knights taking off their helmets before the ladies. In 
Queen Elizabeth's reign, very high-crowned hats were 
in vogue. 

3^t^jEitK♦ A number of Roman antiquities and 
remains of Druidical temples are still visible in this island. 
The Chateu de Llslet or Queen Elizabeth's castle, 
Crowray or Mont Orqueil Castle, and Notre Dame Chapel, 



285 

are fine Gothic structures. In 1781, a body of French 
troops landed on this island, surprised the Lieutenant 
Governor, and compelled him to sign a capitulation ; but 
Major Pierson, the commander of the English troops, 
refused to abide by this forced capitulation, and attacked 
the French in the town of St Hilary. The French were 
compelled to surrender prisoners of war ; but, the gallant 
Major was killed in the moment of victory. 

iLOUb^in^ a large city in Germany, which once 
boasted of a celebrated University. The walls of this 
place are nearly seven miles in circumference ; but, within 
them, are a great number of gardens and vineyards. 
The University consists of sixty small colleges, much 
admired for their situation and architecture ; but, they 
are not sumptuous. In its castle— built originally by 
Arnulph, to defend the country against the Normans, 
and called, at first, Loven, and, afterwards, Caesar's cas^ 
tie— the Emperor Charles V. and his sisters were brought 
up till the year 1510. It is now in ruins. 

^OnitittU'tH, Northumberland^ is noted for 
the ruins of Roman altars and statues, which have been 



286 

dug up here in great quantities. From this place i§ the 
best view of the Roman wall. On chapel hill, at a short 
distance from it, the Romans had a temple, where frag- 
ments of Doric capitals have been found, with many 
broken columns, and several altars ; and, in an adjoining 
field, the foundations of streets and buildings are still 
visible. 

3(CSUtt0^ a religious order, of which Ignatius de 
Loyola, a Spanish Officer, was the founder. In the 
year 1538, he assembled ten of his companions at Rome, 
and made a proposal to them to form a new order ; when 
it was agreed to add to the three ordinary vows of chas- 
tity, poverty, and obedience, a fourth, which was, to 
go into all countries whither the Pope should please to 
send them, in order to make converts to the Romish 
Church. Ignatius was created general of the Order, 
which, in a short time, spread over all the countries of 
the world, while he staid at Rome, from which he go- 
vemed the whole society. By their arts and intrigues, 
they rendered themselves obnoxious to all the govern- 
ments of Europe, and were suppressed in England, in 
1604 ; Venice, in 1606 ; Portugal, in 1759 ; France, in 



287 

1764 ; Spain and Sicily, in 1767. At last, they were 
totally suppressed and abolished by Pope Clement XIV. 
in 1773. Pope Pius VII. however, after the re-establish- 
ment of the papal power in 1814, restored this order to 
all its ancient privileges and immunities. 

itUtllOiDt Shropshire. Arthur, Prince of Wales, 
and son of Henry VII. held a court, and died here ; and 
here, Henry VIII. established the counsel of the Marches, 
the Lord Lieutenant of which used to keep his court here, 
till they were disused in the reign of William III. who ap- 
pointed two Lord Lieutenants of North and South Wales. 
The castle here was originally very strong ; having been, 
built in the year 1130 by Roger de Montgomery. In 
the year 1634, the castle was inhabited by the Earl of 
Bridgewater, (Lord President), and family, at which time, 
Milton's masque of Comus was performed. At present, 
all the apartments, halls, and rooms of state of this an- 
cient and venerable structure, are lying open, and falling 
to decay. The parish church is a very ancient structure, 
and the inside is well worth seeing, especially that ad- 
mirable piece of sculpture, the tomb of Sir John Bridg-, 
man. 



288 



©03tlint* This word was formerly used to signify a 
casque or helmet. It covered the whole of the face, ex- 
cept the eyes, which were protected by small iron bars, 
laid cross-ways. The heaume is still preserved in he- 
raldry, and is a distinguished mark of nobility. In Tour- 
naments, the helmet was presented as a prize of honour 
to the most active champion, because it was the princi- 
pal piece of defensive armour ; but, a sword was given to 
the assailants, as that was an offensive weapon. 

3>0h)£{# * Some authors,* says TacituSy * report that 

* the Jews came from Candia : Others say that they 

* were a multitude of Assyrians, who, not being able to 
« live in their own country, possessed themselves of a part 

* of Eg3rpt, and afterwards built the town of Judea. 

* Moses, one of their leaders, the better to gain their 

< affection, and ensure their fidelity, instituted a religion 

* and ceremonies amongst them, contrary to those of all 

< other nations : For, all that is holy amongst us, is ac* 

* counted profane by them ; and all that is forbidden to 

* us, is lawful to them. These Jews never dwell, nor 

* eat with any men, but those of their own religion, and 



2S9 

* abstain from foreign women, though they are much 

* given to luxury. They have invented circumcision, for 

* a distinction from other nations ; and those who embrace 
' their Religion, are tied to the observation of that cere- 

* mony. They bury their dead standing, after the exam- 

* pie of the Egyptians, instead of burning them, like other 

* nations. The Jews adore but one God, in Spirit, ac« 

* counting all those Idolaters that represent him like a 

* man. They believe him to be eternal and immutable, 

< and will not suffer any image in their city, nor in their 
' temple. Some fancied that they adored Bacchus ; but 
' their ceremonies are quite different from those of the 

< worshippers of Bacchus, which are attended with mirth, 

* feasting, and rejoicing ; while, the ceremonies of the Jews, 

< are filthy and absurd.' The Jews are a people that 
have, in all ages, been despised by other nations, as 
the Assyrians, the Medes, Persians, and the Macedonians 
amongst the ancients ; nor have they been happier in the 
reception they have met with in modem times. They 
are now dispersed throughout all the nations of the world, 
without any head or political existence. They first made 
th^ appearance in England in the time of William the 



290 

Conqueror. 12,000 of them were slain in Germany, by 
the Crusaders, in the year 1096. 

In the year 1255, 202 Jews were apprehended for 
crucifying a child at Lincoln, 18 of whom were hanged, 
and the rest heavily fined. In 1277, 267 Jews were 
hanged for clipping money. In 1287, all the Jews in 
England were apprehended in one day, their goods confis- 
cated, and 15,060 banished, an interdiction of them that 
continued for 364 years. In 1317, a general massacre of 
them was commenced at Verdun, inFrance, bythePeasants, 
upon which, 500 took shelter in a castle, and defended 
themselves to tl^ last extremity, when, for want of other 
weapons, they threw their children at the enemy, and 
then killed each other. In the year 1394, they were 
driven out of France ; and in 1492, 150,000 of them 
were driven out of Spain. 

• In 1753, an Act of Parliament passed, naturahzing 
them in this country ; but, from the clamour raised on 
the occasion, it was repealed the following year. 

The French government, under Napoleon, allowed 
them the rights of citizens ; and, in 1807, a return of the 
number of Jews in difierent parts of the globe, on a 
strict inquiry, was made to Bonaparte, as follows : — 



291 

In the Turkish Empire, . . . 1,000000 

Persia, China, and India, . . . 300,000 

Europe, Africa, and America, . . 1,700000 

Total, . . 3,000000 

illtttrgj)* The English Liturgy was first com- 
posed, approved, and confirmed in Parliament, in the year 
1548 ; the offices for the morning and evening prayer being 
then in the same form as they stand at present, excepting 
that there was no Confession and Absolution,'the office be- 
ginning with the Lord's Prayer. In the communion, the 
ten Commandments were omitted ; the offertory was 
made with bread and wine mixed with water ; and, in 
the prayer offered for Christ'^s church militant, thanks 
were given to God for his wonderful grace declared to 
his Saints, in the Blessed Virgin, the patriarchs, prophets, 
apostles, and martyrs ; and the Saints departed, were re- 
commended to God's mercy and peace. To this, the con- 
secratory prayer, now used, was joined as a part, only 
with some words now left out, petitioning that the bread 
and wine might be to us the body and blood of Jesus ; 
the beloved Son, &c. In baptism, besides the sign of the 
cross made on the child's forehead, another was made on 



his breast, with an abjuratbn of the devil ta go out of 
him ; after which the child was dipped three times m the 
ft)Bt, if well, but, otherwise, only sprinkled. Besides these, 
some other ceremonies were omitted in the office for the 
sick, as is supposed in 1551, when the form was altered 
a,t the solicitation of Calvin. The last review of the Li- 
turgy topk place in 1661, and the last act of uniformity, 
fnjoining the observance of it, is 13 and 14 of Charles IL 
d^ap. 4. 

T^^UvCtK^ a texture of steel ringlets, or rings, in* 
terwoven, forming a coat of mail, that sat close to the 
bpdy> and yielded to every motion, 

SUd^fOltn^ a small island in the Frith of Forth. 
Here are the ruins of a once celebrated Monastery, founded 
mllS^hy Alexander I. in gratitude for his escape, when 
drivenon the island,! a a violent tempest, where he was hos- 
pitably tJ?eated for three days, by a hermit. It was of the 
^der of St Augustine, and dedicated to St Columba. 

iLinilt^ was first made in England by Flemish 
weavers, in the year 1,253. Till then, woollen shirts were 



J 



worn. The staining of Linen was first made known here 
in 1597 ; and the trade was introduced into Ireland hy: 
Lord Wentworthj about the year 1634. 

3nttVt^t of iHOneg, has fluctuated greatly 
at different periods. In 1307, the rate of Interest wstk 
45 per cent. ; in 1546j it was established at 10 per cent. ; 
in 1604, at 91, 16s. per cent. ; in 16^2, at 8 per cent. ; in 
1660, at 6 per cent, i and in 1714, it was reduced to 
5 per cent. 

^O^if were first introduced into England m the 
year 1524, and in 1528 the Parliament petitioned against 
them as a wicked weed. 

ILttlf 0ln^ was ofice tt Roman station. The Mstle 
wiis built by William the Conqueror to over-awe the 
inhabitants, the ruins of which are highly admired, as 
venerable pieces of antiquity. John of Gaunt, Duke of 
Lancaster, held his court here, with regal pomp, and had 
a mint. 

The Castle is much reduced from its former extent 
and splendour^ when it contained 5% parish churches, 



294 

and was one of the most populous cities in England, ac- 
cording to William of Malmsbury. Here are many 
antique buildings. The Cathedral, a stately Gothic pile, 
one of the largest in England, is its greatest boast, and is 
particularly admired for its interior architecture, which is 
in the richest and lightest Gothic style. The famous great 
bell, called Tom of Lincoln, requires, at least, fifteen 
able men to ring it. The Roman north-gate still remains, 
under the name of New-port gate. It is a vast semi-circle 
of stones, of very lai'ge dimensions, laid without mortar, 
and connected only by their uniform shape. There are 
likewise a great number of monastic ruins in this city, most 
of which are now converted into stables, outhouses, &c. 

d^ttl^ttCCl^ OF Assize, are such as are sent by 
special commission into the country, to hold assizes. Jus- 
tices in Ayre^ or itinerant Justices, are so called, from 
erre, Fr. a journey ; and were formerly sent by commis- 
sion, into different counties, to try such causes, particu- 
larly, as were termed pleas of the crown. 

(©Itirr of tj^e IHOlg 650£it, the principal 
military order in France, instituted by Henry III. inl569. 



It consisted of 100 Knights, who were to make proof of 
their nobility for three descents. The King was the Grand- 
master, or Sovereign, and, as such, took an oath, on his 
coronation-day, to maintain the dignity of the Order. 
The Knights wear a golden cross, hung about their necks 
by a blue silk ribband, or collar : But, before they 
received this order of the Holy Ghost, that of St. Mi- 
chael was conferred, as a necessary degree ; and, for this 
reason, their arms are surrounded with a double collar. 

jLfpHtOU) a town of Turkey in Europe, built on 
a mountain in the form of a sugar loaf, on the top of 
which is a castle. Near this town, Don John of Austria 
obtained a very great victory over the Turkish fleet on 
October 7th, 1501, in which he took 161 of their galleys, 
and burnt or sunk 40, besides several other smaller ves- 
sels. The number of Christians killed in this sea-fight, 
amounted to about 7566, and of the Turks to about 
20,000. 

3J£iliP, Oxfordshire. The Chapel, in which Ed- 
ward was baptized, at a small distance from the church, 
is now converted to the meanest uses of a farm-yard. It 



296 

was desecrated during Cromweirs usurpation, and 
built of stone, 15 yards long, and 7 broad ; and retains 
traces of the arches of an oblong window at the east end. 
At present, it has a roof of thatch, and is still c^led the 
King''s chapel. The manor was ^ven by Edward the 
Confessor to Westminster Abbey, to which it still be- 
longs. It has also some remains of an ancient palace, 
said to have belonged to King Ethelred. 

fl|nnii)ICtlOn9 in Northumberland. Here is an 
intrenchment called Green Castle ; and on Humbledon 
Hugh there is a circular intrenchment, with a large bar- 
row. The sides of the Hill are cut into terraces, 20 feet 
wide, formed with great exactness one above another. 
In the plain below, is a stone pillar, denoting the ground 
where 10,000 Scots, under Earl Douglas, in the reign of 
Henry IV. were defeated, on Holy rood Day, by Henry 
Lord Percy, and George, Earl of March. 

JLOtti Lieutenants of counties, were first appoint- 
ed in England in the reign of Edward VI. 1549 ; in con- 
sequence of insurrections, occasioned, in various parts of 
the country, by the suppression of Monasteries, and other 



297 

proceedings of the Reformation, then vigorously carried 
on by the Protector Somerset. 

^^XiiiUVit^* This word signifies new militia. They 
consist chiefly of christian children, that have been taken 
in war ; or of debauched Turks, who are ignorant of their 
birth or connexion. Whenever any one dies, he leaves 
what little he possesses, to his mess-mates : The conse- 
quence of which is, that the chamber, or mess, become 
extremely rich, and their wealth is frequently put out to 
interest, at 25 per cent. To this it must be added, that the 
Grand Senior directs, that every thing which is supplied 
to them shall be at a lower rate, than to the rest of his 
subjects. Their superior mode of living to the Troops 
of other nations, therefore, is easily accounted for. When 
any commotion or disaster happens in the empire, these 
Janisaries take occasion to demand an increase of pay^ 
threatening, in case of refusal, to pillage the town, a threat 
which they have often put into execution. Small crimes 
and misdemeanours among the Janisaries, are punished by 
the bastinado, which is performed by striking repeated 
blows upon the sole of the foot ; but, when the guilt is 
capital^ the Aga orders the culprit to be strangled, or to 



298 

be sewed up in a sack, and thrown into a pond or river ; 
but, he never gives directions to have a Janisary punished 
in open day, lest the sight of their suffering comrade, 
might create a disturbance among the rest. 

l&UUtmgUOn, called by the Saxons, Hunter's 
Down, was once a very large town, having 15 churches, 
which in Camden's time, were reduced to four, and now 
to two. There was formerly a castle here, belonging to 
David, Prince of Scotland, with the title of Earl ; but, 
Henry VIII. gave it and the title to George Hastings. 
This town was the birth place of Oliver Cromwell, 
A. D. 1599. 

ILnUrttSij certain pieces of gold, coined A. D. 
1619, with the head of James I. encircled with laurel. 
The 20 shilling pieces were marked with XX. ; the 10s. 
piece, with X. ; and the 5s. piece^ with V. 

StlSitlf t^ OF THE Peace, were first instituted in 
1344,|and settled as at present in 1590. They are ap- 
pointed by the King's commission, to keep the peace of 
the county in which they reside. Some of these are 



29P 

called Justices of the Quoram ; and, without the presence 
of one of these, no business can be transacted. 

?8imSi, (HOtft^, and S^antJillS!, barbarous 
tribes that inhabited the various provinces of Germany, 
which had never been subdued by the Romans, or were 
scattered over those vast countries in the north of Europe, 
and north-west of Asia, which are now occupied by the 
Danes, the Swedes, the Poles, the subjects of the Rus- 
sian Empire, and the Tartars. 

V^titt^ttXf in the Saxon heptarchy, was the 
see of a bishop, and the chief city of the Mercian King- 
dom. Here are the ruins of a Roman wall, composed 
of rag-stone and Roman brick, and imagined to be a rem- 
nant of a temple of Janus, erected on this spot 2000 
years ago. There is also in this town a Roman millia- 
rium, the oldest known in Britain, and containing the 
first inscription mentioned in this island, which was 
found near Thurmaston in 1771. This memorable relic 
of antiquity, now forms the centre of an obelisk, in one 
of the principal streets, surmounted with a lamp. The 
hall and kitchen of the ancient castle of Leicester are still 



soo 

entire, a prodigious building, where the great Duke of 
Lancaster held his court, and added 26 acres to it, which 
he enclosed with a brick wall. The former is lofty and 
spacious, and the assizes are held in it One of its gate- 
ways, with a very curious arch, and the tower over it, 
are in good preservation. 

Richard III. stopt at Leicester, the day before the 
battle of Bosworth field. He put up at the sign of the 
Blue Boar, his own standard, which, after his overthrow, 
was almost every where replaced by the Blue Bell. His 
army entered with great pomp in two divisions ; the first 
marched five in a rank ; then, followed the baggage ; 
next, the King georgeously apparelled, mounted upon 
a large white courser, richly caparisoned, and attended 
by his Body Guard. The few horse he had, formed the 
wings of his army, and were stationed in the centre. 



3(ttiSftipttOn^« Pliny assures us that the first 
public monuments were formed of plates of lead ; and 
that the treaties of confederacy, made between the Ro- 
mans and the Jews, were written upon plates of brass ; 
in order, says he, that the Jews might have something to 



SOI 

put them in mind of the peace and confederacy conclude 
ed with the Romans. 

?&ar£St CajJtU, Hampshire, built by Henry VIIL 
It is seated on the extreme point of a neck of land, which 
shoots a mile and a half into the sea. Here Charles I, 
was confined previously to his being brought to trial. 

iLCCllt in Staffordshire. In the church-yard of thia 
Town, are the remains of a Danish cross, now upright, 
and ten feet high from the ground, beneath which are 
three steps, 

^t« S^ailtflft Knights of, a military order in 
Spain, first instituted in the year 1170, by Ferdinand 
II. King of Leon and Galicia. The greatest dignity, 
belonging to this order, is that of grand master, which 
has been united to the crown of Spain. The Knights 
are obliged to make proof of their descent from families 
that have been noble for four generations, on both sidesi^ 
They must also make it appear, that their ssdd ancestors 
have ndither been Jews^ Saracens, nor heretics, nor have 
ever been called in question by the inquisi^on. 



302 

^OX^t^M^OmWa, a body of cavalry, so 
called in the days oF Cromwell. At the battle of Naseby, 
14th June, 1645, which decided the fate of Charles I. 
tlie associated horse were posted in the rear of the right 
wing of the republican army, and formed a part of the 
reserve. There were troops of the association likewise 
stationed in the rear of the left. Oliver Cromwell com- 
manded the cavalry on the right of the whole ; and the 
associated horse were under his immediate orders. 

iLC^tOlt^ in Roman antiquity, a body of foot, which 
consisted of ten cohorts, or 5000 men. The number of 
legions kept in pay at the same time, was different ac- 
cording to the various times, and occasions. Augustus 
maintained a standing army of S3 legions ; but, in after 
times, we seldom find so many. 

3J8lbrtin^ a spear of five feet and a half long, the 
shaft of which was wood, with a steel point. Every 
soldier in the Roman armies had seven of these, which 
were very light and slender. The Vilites, or light armed 
troops, among the Romans, were armed with javelins. 
They were two cubits long, and one inch thick. 



303 

|^Dl£itCtlT« It has been observed that the Hoi- 
steiners are more like the English, than any people of 
Europe. Lord Molesworth notices this similarity ; and 
a Traveller who was at Ransburgh in 1 6S2, says, among 
other things, ' I put myself to mark the carriage of the 

* Holstein gentlemen, as they were going in and coming 

* out of the parliament house, and observing well their 

* physiognomies, their complexions, and gait, I thought 
' verily I was in England ; for, they resemble the English 

< more than either Welsh, or Scot, (though cohabiting 

< upon the same island), or any other people that I saw 

* yet ; which makes me verily believe that the English 

< nation came first from this lower circle of Saxony. And 

< there is one thing that strengtheneth me in this belief, 

< that there is an ancient town hard by, called Lunden, 

< and an island called Anglia.' This remark is confirmed 
by the most diligent inquirers, who place the country of 
our Saxon ancestors in the Cimbric Chersonese in the 
tracts of land since known by the name of Jutland, Ange- 
lan and Holstein. 

SUn^BameSf ♦ The « BuU and Gate," and « BuU 
and Mouth,*" are well known corruptions of " Boulogne 



Gate,^ and «< Boulogne-mouth,'' but, that of the « Bag of 
Nails," at Chelsea, is still more curious, being derived 
from " Bacchanals ;" the Bell Savage Inn was once the 
property of Arabella Savage, and familiarly called " Bell 
Savage's Inn," probably represented by a bell and a sa- 
vage, which was a rebus for her name. On any extra- 
ordinary occasion, the tavern keepers have not been back- 
ward to commemorate it on their sign posts. At the 
Union with Scotland, the crown with the rose and thistle 
adorned our taverns ; and, on the accession of oui? present 
royal family, the white horse of Hanover prevailed. 

The Boar's-head tavern in East-cheap, London, makes a 
conspicuous figure in Shakespeare's plays ; and was stand- 
ing in the latter part of the last century : Under the sign 
was written. This is the oldest tavern in London. 
There are extant among the small pieces called Trades- 
men's tokens^ some used for change in this tavern; and 
are probably of the date of Elizabeth, antecedent to the 
copper coinage. 

?l|tttltrjBi* This name is given to seventeen large 
stones, set in a kind of square> near St. Clare, in Corn- 
wall, from an old tradition that they aire the bodies of 



305 

petrified, for profaning the Sabbath, by playing at hurl* 
ing balls; but, whoever has seen Stonehenge, or read 
Wormius's dissertation on the Danish antiquities, wouM 
smile at the simplicity of the relaters, and easily see that 
these stones are some funeral monument. Hurling was 
formerly one of- the most favourite diversions of the na- 
tives of Cornwall ; but, it is now fallen into disuse. The 
game consists in throwing, or hurling, a ball of wood, 
about three inches in diameter, and covered with plates 
of silver, inscribed with a motto. Success depended on 
catching the ball dexterously, and conveying it away, 
notwithstanding all the opposition of the adverse party, 
to.an assigned goal. 

.;^iSit(}tll£i^ a tide of honour, given by letters pa^ 
tent to a person who holds a middle rank, between the. 
dignity of a Duke and that of an Earl. This word, like: 
Margrave, is derived fiom the high Dutch, or from the 
French Marche'i a limit. The titie was first known imder 
Charlemagne. King Richard II, first introduced it among 
u$y by creating Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, Marquis 
of; Dublin ; but, it was a title, without any office annexed 
to.it.. 



306 

iSvaintj^fliatfea^ Siberia. The true kamtscha^ 
dales are a peopleof very remote antiquity, and have, for 
miany ages, inhabited this peninsula. There are at 
present very few idolaters amongst them ; the Russians 
having bestowed great pains, and been very successful, in 
converting them to Christianity. The Russians first dis- 
covered their country in the year 1697 ; and, in 1699, 
sixty Russian soldiers, with as many Cossacks, penetrat- 
ed into the heart of the Peninsula, levying a tribute of 
furs in their progress. Their government, considered as 
a military one, is mild in a high degree. 

iffiltrrg^^lnllrCtD^ This appellation for a buf- 
foon, or person who endeavours to raise laughter in others, 
arose from one Andrew Borde, a droll itinerant physician, 
who, about the year 1547, attended markets, and ha- 
rangued the people. 

ilamfif tS#alare, has been the residence of 
the Archbishops of Canterbury ever since the year 1109. 
It contains stately and magnificent apartments ; its gal- 
lery is well furnished with the portraits of all the arch- 
bishops, and other eminent personages; and its noble 
library is filled with M. S. of great value. 



m 

^^itt^ Otii&t^f a term formerly applied, in !f ranc6, 
and other countries, to certain polemic doctors, for their 
peculiar method of defending Popery against the Protes- 
tants ; but, what we now understand by this common 
appellation is the sect founded, about the year 1728, by 
John and Charles Wesley. 

i^lUSStftOOlJt is a military institution of the Ro- 
mans, and was first instituted in England in the year 
540. During the Heptarchy, it was conferred by the 
Priest at the altar. This custom, however, was sup- 
pressed, A. D. 1100. In the year 1254, all persons, 
possessed of an income of =£'.10 a year, were obliged 
either to be knighted, or pay a fine. Among the Ro- 
mans, a Knight was a person of the second degree of 
nobility, following immediately that of the Senators. At 
the ceremony of conferring this honour, he had a ring, 
and a horse given him, which was kept at the public 
charge, and with which he was to serve in the wars. The 
ceremonies observed on conferring the order, have been 
various ; the principal were, a box on the ear, and a stroke 
with a sword on the shoulder. They likewise put on 
him a shoulder-belt, a gilt sword, spurs, and other mill- 



308 

tary aceoutrements. Camden describes the manner cf 
making a knight bachelor among us, to be thus : The 
person kneeling, was gently struck on the shoulder b 
the Prince, and accosted in these words : ' Rise, and be 
a Knight, in the name of God.' 

ILStttU^iE'Sjr^ was collected at a very early period 
of our history,^in tenths, fifteenths, scutages, &c. but, 
sj^l^tled, as it now stands, in the year 1692, 

i^iltt!S!ttCl£$, were originally pipers, appointed 
by the Lords of Manors to divert their ccpyholders, whilst 
thesy were at work for them ; a custom which was continu- 
ed till about the year 1500. Harpers always preceded the 
o^^ts of the Welsh in battle. Edward I. on the eonr 
qpest of Wales, forbade the use of that instrument. It 
was, usual in Ireland, in former times, for one or two harps 
tp, be hung up in the hall of every great house, free to all 
travellers, who were the more caressed, the more they 
e3^(^^lle4 lA music. 

iLStttnCCSitOtlt. Comwall, Leland says, was wall- 
edj ijj, hi^ time, and was a mile in circumference. It had 



809 

formerly a monastery, and a noble castle, which, oil ac- 
count of its strength, was called Castle-Terrible. The 
lower part of this ancient edifice is now used for the goal. 
The parish church is built with square blocks of granites 
every one of which is enriched with very singular carved 
ornaments. 

:SiSiOXtWC^f the use of mortars is thought t6 be of 
more remote date than that of cannon ; for, they were 
employed in the wars of Italy, to throw balls of red-hot 
iron, and stones, long before the invention of shells. It 
is generally believed that the Germans were the first in- 
ventors of this warlike engine ; and that they were em- 
ployed at the siege of Naples, in the year 1435. 

i^tril* The Irish infantry were formerly distinguish- 
ed by this appellation. The men in those days were 
armed with a sword, and a dart, or javelin, which was 
tied to a small cord, so that, after they bad thrown it at 
the enemy, they could instantly recover it, and use it in 
any way they thought proper. The javelin was called 
Skene. 



310 

^a}C£itj>* This title was first given to Louis XI. 
of France. Before his time, the Sovereigns of Europe 
had been merely styled Highness, or Grace. In Eng- 
land Henry IV. received the title of < Grace ;' Hen- 
ry VI. that of ' Excellent Grace ;' Edward IV. that of 
< High and Mighty Prince C Henry VII. was styled 
' Highness ;"" Henry VIII. ' Majesty,' and was the first 
and last who was styled * Dread Sovereign ;' James I. 
was called *' Sacred,' or Most Excellent Majesty, 

3L32^3$rOt60r# This term was originally given 
to an invalid soldier, whom the heads of religious houses 
and monasteries in France were obliged to receive, and to 
support, during the remainder of his days. The monks 
generally agreed to take one ; but, the number seldom 
exceeded two. These living' remains of military glory, 
led a melancholy life, in the midst of their fat and pamper- 
ed masters. Louis XIV. rescued them from this unplea- 
sant dependance, by establishing the Hoiel des Invalides 
in Paris. 

JSlOllfe^* There was a distinction between the 
Monks and Friars, which caused the latter to become 



311 

the object of hatred and envy. Both the monastic, or 
regular, and parochial clergy, encouraged the attacks 
made upon them. The monks were, by most of their 
rules, absolutely forbidden to go out of their monasteries, 
and, therefore, could receive only such donations as were 
left to them. On the contrary, the Friars, who were 
professed mendicants, on receiving notice of the sickness 
of any rich person, constantly detached some of their 
members, to persuade the sick man to bequeath alms to 
their convent ; thus, often, not only anticipating the 
Monks, but, likewise, the parochial clergy. Besides, as 
most of them were professed preachers, their sermons 
were frequently compared with those of the Clergy, and, 
in general, not to the advantage of the latter. In these 
sermons, the poverty and distress of their order, were 
topics that, of course, were neither omitted, nor slightly 
passed over. Considering the power of the Church, be- 
fore the Reformation, it is not to be supposed that any 
of the Poets, as Chaucer, &c. would have ventured to 
tell those ridiculous stories of the Friars, with which 
their works abound, had they not been privately protected 
by the superior clergy. 



312 



i^CnSlttStOtL Among the groups tliat decorate 
the grand stair^case in this palace, is a portrait ofil/a- 
hovtet the Turl^, who was valet de chambre to his Majes- 
,ty George I. This worthy man, whom the King brought 
.from Hanover, was highly esteemed for his benevolence ; 
J^aying, in the space of three years, discharged from the 
Prisons in and about London, more than 300 poor debt- 
ors confined for i^naall sums. 

ifflaVaUlJtnjS, is derived from a Count de Merode, 
a brutal and licentious officer in the 30 years war. He 
was a bold and enterprizing Spanish partizan of some 
distinction, who, in his incursions, disregarded the com- 
mon laws of war. He afterwards fell a victim to his own 
rashness ; being killed in a drunken quarrel by John de 
Wert. From this man''s predatory and ferocious habits, 
a plunderer and a ravisher, received the epithet of Mero* 
dista from the Spanish and Italian soldiers. 

iLHttrf* This weapon was much used by the French 
in former times, particularly by that class of military 
gentlemen called chevaliers, and by the gensdarmes. It 



31J 

has also been used by the English, and other naticrs. 
Lances were made of ash, being a wood of tough qua- 
Hty, and headed with a sharp iron, or blade, to which 
was attached a sort of banderole or streamer. The use 
o£ the lance was discontinued in France, in the reign of 
Henry FV. but, the Spaniards retained the use of that 
weapon as low down as the days of Louis XIII. and, in 
our own time, it has been revived as a favourite weapon of 
the Guerillas of that country, and also of the Poles, serv- 
ing in the French armies. Indeed, it has latterly been 
introduced even among our own cavalry. 

iKad!)£>rOlIg|), Wiltshire. Camden mentions 
101 ancient custom here, viz. that every freeman, at his 
admission, gave to the mayor a couple of greyhounds, 
two white capons, and a white bull. 

Ss^ttljjjt^ OF Malta, or Knights hospitallers, and 
sometimes called Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. Of 
all the institutions to which the crusades gave rise, this 
order exhibited the most heterogeneous mixture of chris- 
tian humility and temporal pride ; the most singular 
attempt to reconcile the possession of rich benefices and 



314 

luxurious indulgences, with vows of poverty and pro- 
fessions of self .denial. This order was instituted towards 
the close of the eleventh century, and was originally 
composed of a few charitable individuals, who established 
a house at Jerusalem for the reception of the sick and 
wounded crusaders. The Pope invested them with the or- 
der of St. Augustin; and, from that time, their successors 
have been required to take the vows of chastity, obedience, 
and poverty. Extending their cares beyond the mere 
recovery of their distressed guests, they obtained permis- 
sion to take up arms in their aid, upon which occasion, 
they took an oath to defend the holy sepulchre, to the 
last drop of their blood, and to combat the infidels, wher- 
ever they should meet them. In the year 1310, they 
attacked, and took the island of Rhodes, where they set- 
tled for upwards of 200 years, and were called. Knights 
of Rhodes ; but, being expelled from thence by the 
Turks, who attacked the island in 1522, the Emperor 
Charles \. gave them the island of Malta, which the 
Knights retained till the year 1798, when Bonaparte, then 
on his way to Egypt, took-i^t . . 

In process of time, the Kniglits agreed to divide them- 
selves into seven different lan^ages, of which the three 



315 

first were French, and the four others were those of Italy, 
Aragon, England, and Germany. The head of each 
language, was styled grand Prior. That of England 
was abolished at the Reformation. The order was di- 
vided into three classes. The first consisted solely of 
such as could bring indubitable proofs of their descent 
from noble ancestors. The second class comprehended 
the priests of the order. The members of the third, were 
such as come under the denomination of Esquires. 

(ESillCClI^C, the lattice work, by which the chancels 
were formerly divided from the body of the Church ; 
and hence their appellation. From this circumstance, too, 
the court of Chancery, and the Lord Chancellor take 
their names ; that Court being enclosed with open work 
of this kind. On the same principle, to cancel a 
writing, is to cross it out with the pen, which naturally 
makes something like the figure of a lattice. 

i^EintnS^ was invented by the Lydians, when un- 
der the pressure of a great famine. To divert tliemselves 
from dwelhng on their sufferings, they contrived dice, 
balls, tables, &c. It is added that, to endure their cala- 



316 

mky the better, they used to pky a whole day without 
iivterruption, in order that they might not be racked with 
the thoughts of food. This invention, originally intended 
as a remedy for hunger, is now a very common cause of 
thait ^vil. 

COff00-SOUjS0£>, were first known at Oxford. 
One of the earliest in London was kept by a barber^ 
named James Farr, near the Inner-Temple-Gate, in the 
year 1657. It was viewed with great jealousy at that 
time ; and, indeed, was presented as a nuisance by the 
Inquest of Saint Dunstan's in the west ; but, with little 
success, we suppose; as such houses rapidly increased 
from that period. 

3BlOgaI 3BlOi)CiS* a work published in 1583, 
gives us the following information : — In times past, Kyn- 
^ ges, as olde Historiographers in ther Bokes yet extant 

* doe recorde, would not disdaine to wear a paire of hosen 

* of a noble, tenne shillynges, or a marke price, with all 
^ the rest of their apparell after the same rate ; but, bow, 

* it is a small matter to bestow twenty nobles, tenn 
< poundcj 20 pounde, yea 40 pounde of one paire of 



* trunk hose> and yet it is tliought no abuse neither.'-^^ 
' The Anatomy of Abuses^ by Stubbes, 1583. 

PtntattUCft^ There is a Manuscript of this Sa- 
cred Law of the Jews, in the Library of the Athenoeum 
in Liverpool, beautifully written on a roll of fine vellum, 
four inches wide, aaid upwards of forty^fiv£ feet long. It 
is, attached at each end to a roller of i^sory, and the whole 
is enclosed in a crimson case of velvet. 

<!?a^ttrn ^atlOnSl. There is a peculiar dr. 
cumstance attending the nations of the east-^that their 
habits, manners, and languages, remain unaltered, /com- 
pared with those of Europe. The Chinese is still the 
same, because he is dull and cunning ; and the Persian 
likewise continues the same, because he is sprightly and 
satisfied. He overflowed with love and wine, in the 
time pf Darius ; and he still overflows. The men were 
then famous for their majestic beards, and the women 
for their; blacJi eyes; and, they are still so. He wearsi 
the same softening and cooling turban, which the Qreek 
unrolled from his head on the plains of Marathon. His 
body igbfelded on the same graceful vest, atixafdium: ber 



318 

twixt the scantiness of the sultry Indian, and the cumbrous 
robes of the pompous Turk. 

JmllL Water-mills were introduced into Britain by 
the Romans, as appears by the remains of a Roman mill 
discovered at Manchester, by that learned Antiquary 
Mr Whitaker : And, as they are frequently mentioned 
during the Saxon period of our history, it may be con- 
cluded that they never fell into disuse. 



iSUttlltOlD^ a manor in Essex, remarkable for the 
custom of delivering a gammon or flitch of bacon to any 
married couple, who would take a prescribed oath. The 
custom is supposed by some writers to have originated in 
the Saxon or Norman times. However this may be, the 
earliest delivery of bacon on record, was in the 23d year 
of Henry YI. when Richard Wright of Bradbourg, in 
Norfolk, having been duly sworn before the Prior and 
Convent, had a flitch of bacon delivered to him agreeably 
to the tenure. The ceremonial established for these oc- 
casions, consisted in the claimant's kneeling on two sharp- 
pointed stones, in the Church-yard, and there, after 



sig 

solemn chanting, and other rites performed by the con- 
vent, taking the following oath : — 

* You shall swear by custom of confession, 

' That you ne'er made nuptial transgression ; 

* Nor, since you were married man and wife, 
' By household brawls, or contentious strife, 
' Or otherwise, at bed or board, 

' Offended each other, in deed or in word, 
' Or, since the parish clerk said amen, 

* Wished yourselves unmarried again, 

* Or, in a twelve month and a day, 
' Repented in thought any way, 

< But, continued true in thought and desire ; 

* As when you joined hands in holy choir, 

* If to these conditions without all fear, 

* Of your own accord you will freely swear, 

* A whole gammon of bacon you shall receive, 
' And bear it hence with love and good leave, 

' For, this is our custom at Dunmow, well known, 
' Tho' the pleasure be ours, the bacon's your own.' 

In the chartulary of the Priory, now in the British 



S2@ 

Museum, only three persons are recorded to have receiv- 
ed the bacon, previously to the suppression of religious 
houses. Since that period, also, the bacon has been thrice 
delivered. In these cases, the ceremonies have been per- 
formed at a Court Baron for the Manor, held by the 
Steward. The last instance of its being received, was 
in June 1751. It has been more recently demanded ; 
but, v/as evaded, in consequence of the ceremony being 
attended with considerable expense te the Lord of the 
Manor. 

3Sritl^il Cfltttt^ It is to be observed that our 
Court has always taken: its- characteristic manners ftom the 
reigning Eing. The- G.ojurt, in the reign of James I. was 
pert, cunning, and pedantic. In that of Charies E it was 
austere, and enamoured of prerogative. In the days of 
Charles H* our Courtiers were; dissolute and atheistical ; 
in the time of JajBtes II. bigotted and arbitrary ;, in the 
reign of William III. serious, decisive, and warlike; and 
in. theWfo ofi A«ne^. changeable^ and divided in opinion. 
Whtai Creorge I. held the crown, the Court was^ brave, 
determined, and steady : And, in the days of George II. 
altiiftughjthe Court wa^, for some time, corrupt, yet, at 



S21 

length it became, like the Sovereign, brave, honest, arid 
glorious. George III. was an example of domestic proprie- 
ty ; he was approved of by the moral feehngs of the 
whole nation, and his court exhibited the greatest deco- 
rum, and respect for public opinion. 

?|tetorical Crafts* CROMWELL.-sir Phiiip 

Warwick, Knight, was attached to the cause of Charles I., 
and was much consulted by that extraordinary personage. 
On the Restoration of Charles 11., he was knighted, and 
died in 1682, having filled several places of trust. He 
was the author of two works — a discourse on government, 
and memoirs of the reign of King Charles I., which was 
allowed to be written with great candour and fidelity. He 
gives the character of Cromwell in the following words : 
' I have no mind to give an ill character of Cromwell ; 
' for, in his conversation towards me, he was ever friend- 
' ly ; though, at the latter end of the day, finding me in- 
' corrigible, and having some inducements to suspect me a 
' tamperer, he was sufficiently rigid. ' The first that 
' ever I took notice of him, was in the very beginning of 
' the parliament held in November 1640. I came one 
^ morning into the House, and perceived a gentleman 
< speaking, whom I knew not, very ordinarily apparelled; 

Y 



322 

' for, it was a plain cloth suit, v/hicli seemed to liave been 
' made by an ill country tailor ; his linen was plain 
' and not very clean ; and I remember a speck or two of 
' blood upon his little band ; his hat was without a band; 
' his stature was of a good size ; his sword stuck close to 
^ his side ; his countenance solemn and reddish ; his voice 
' sharp and untunable, and his eloquence full of fervor ; 

* for, the subject matter would not bear much of reason; 
' yet, he was very much hearkened unto. This very 

* gentleman I lived to see, out of no ill-will to whom I 
' thus describe, by multipHed good successes, and by real 
' power, (having had a better tailor, and more converse 
' among good company,) in my own eye, when, for six 
« weeks together, I was a prisoner in his sergeant's hands, 
' and daily waited at Whitehall, appear of a great and 
' majestic deportment and comely presence. Of him, 
' therefore, I will say no more, but that one while he 
' most wickedly acted, and at another so successfully and 
' greatly performed/ 

Hogarth dedicated his picture of the ' March to 
Finchley,' to George II. The following dialogue is said 
to have ensued, on this occasion, between the Sovereign 
and the Nobleman in waiting : — ' Pi'ay, who is this Ho- 
garth ?' V A painter, my Leige.'— ' I hate hainting and 



323 

hoetry too ; neither one nor the other ever did any good.' 
— ' The picture, please your Majesty, must undoubtedly 
be considered a burlesque ?' ' What a bainter burlesque 
a soldier ! He deserves to he picketed Jhr his insolence. 
Take this trumpery out of my sight V 

Charles II. In the year 1683j this King, by the 
assistance of the Tories and Roman Catholics, completed 
the ruin of the Constitution. The Whigs and Noncon- 
formists were struck with terror by the severe prosecu- 
tions of the heads of their party. Mr Hampden was fined 
0^.40,000, and, Sir Samuel Barnadiston, .^'.lOjOOO, for 
defaming the evidence in the Rye-house Plot ; Mr Speke, 
de.2,000, and Mr Bradon, d£^.l,000, for reporting, that the 
Earl of Essex had been murdered in the tower ; Mr 
John Duttincoit, ^.100,000 for scandalum magnatum 
against the Duke of York, who now was omnipotent at 
Court. Thirty-two others were fined or pillored, for libel- 
ing the King, or the Duke of York. At the same time, 
the Earl of Danby and the Popish Lords were released 
out of the Tower on bail ; and the garrison of Tangier 
was brought to England, and augmented to a standing 
army of four or five thousand men : The Scripttires were 
tortured to prove the divine rights of Kings ; and the abso- 



324 

lute government of the Jewish Kings, was preached up 
as a pattern for our own Monarchs. 

Henry VIII. and Francis I. At an interview which 
took place between these Monarchs near Ardres, in 
France, in 1520, where they and their attendants display- 
ed the greatest magnificence, during eighteen days, which 
were passed in feats of chivalry, exercises, and pastimes, the 
following singular circumstance is described by the Mar- 
shal Fleuranges — who was present, to have taken place : 

* After the Tournament,' says he, * the French and Eng- 
^ lish wrestlers made their appearance, and wrestled in the 

* presence of the Kings, and the ladies; and, as there were 

* many stout wrestlers there, it afforded excellent pastime ; 

* but, as the King of France had neglected to bring any 
' wrestlers out of Bretagne, the English gained the prize. 
« —After this, the Kings of France and England retired to 
*a tent, where they drank together, and the King of Eng- 
' land seizing the King of France by the collar, said, ' My 
' hrother, I must wrestle with you^ and endeavoured once 
^ or twice to trip up his heels ; but, the king of France, 
^ who is a dexterous wrestler, twisted him round, and threw 
< him on the earth with prodigious violence. The King of 
^ [England wanted to renew the combat, but was prevented."* 



itit 



INDEX. 





Page 




Page 


Adbey, 


9 


Asbestos, 


165 


Aberconway, 


18 


Ass, 


167 


Abbotsbury, 


85 


Attaint, 


217 


A-cton Burn el. 


6 


Auctions, 


219 


Ac, Ak, or Ake 


39 


Augmentation, 


226 


Adultery 


6 






Agincourt, 


23 


B. 




Aichstadt, 


76 




Alesbury, 


8 


Baths, 


4 


Altars, 


9 


Band of Gent. Pensioners, 7 


Albion, 


42 


Baker, 


19 


Alderman, 


71 


Banneret, 


ib. 


Almanza, 


74 


Bag- pipe. 


33 


Alnwick, 


154 


Bairam, 


36 


Alney, 


157 


Bankers, 


44 


Anthems, 


40 


Band, 


75 


Ancient Manners, 


85 


Bards, 


94 


Angles 


160 


Bandoleer, 


97 


Anglesea, 


161 


Baptism 


98 


Annates, 


162 


Barbers, 


102 


Appleby, 


118 


Barnard Castle 


103 


Apotheosis 


117 


Bamet, 


104 


Archangel, 


1^0 


Baron, 


107 


Army, 


130 


Baronet, 


110 


Armorial Bearings, 


227 


Barristers, 


146 


Arms, 


41 


Battel- Abbey, 


160 


Archery, 


57 


Battles, 


203 


Architecture, 


96 


Bayonet, 


186 


Asli-Wednesday, 


30 


Beachy Head, 


11 



326 



Be-head, 


Page 

30 


Bell- man. 


31 


Bedal, 


165 


Bed-chamber, 


167 


Beef- eater, 


171 


Bells, 


172 


Beguins, 


ib. 


Benedictines 


174 


Belgae, 


185 


Beard, 


187 


Bezant, 


25 


Berwick, 


272 


Bid-Ale, 


36 


Bible, 


273 


Bills of Exchange, 


192 


Blue Beard, 


112 


Blandford, 


44 


Black-rod, 


195 


Board-wages, 


26 


Boxley, 


13 


Bow, 


40 


Boiling to Death, 


55 


Borough English, 


122 


Bosworth, 


123 


Book, . X . 


197 


Bombay, 


199 


Breeches, 


20 


Brehons, 


41 


Brentford, 


116 


Bribery, 


J18 


Brothels, 


121 


British Constitution, 


211 


Court, 


320 


Brancepeth Castle, 


163 


Bull-Fights, 


42 


Burial Places, 


162 


C. 




Castles, 


1 


Cannon, 


24 



Cancellae, . 315 

Cabinet Council, . 25 

Calumet, . . SQ 

Cardinal, . . 37 

Capuchins, . 43 

Catholics, . . 97 

Cataphracta, . 98 

Captives, . lO'i 

Cardiff- Castle, . 1 04 

Carmelites, . lo6 

Cameronians, . I6l 

Calais, . . 163 

Celtae and Belgae, 70 

Ceremony, . lOl 

Celts, . 20 

Church- Wardens, . H 

Chaperon, . . J3 

Chivalry, . . 31 

China, . . 217 

Christmas Day, . 5Q 
Chevalier, . .100 

Chelsea, . 163 

Chiltern Hundreds, l65 

Check . . 167 

Cheshunt, . 171 

Cinque- Ports, . 173 

Cistercians, . 174 

Citadel, . 175 

Clergy, . • IS7 

Claymore, . 142 

Clarenceaux . 185 

Clock, . . 275 

Copper Money, . 16 

Coronations . ib. 

Commissions of Array, SQ 

Corfe- Castle, . 62 

Coffins, . . 6S 

Conisburgh Castle, 81 

Constables, . II7 

Combats. . . II9 



327 



Commerce, 
Comprehension, 
Concubinage, 
Convent on, 
CofFee, 

Houses^ 

Coins, 

Coaches, 

Coals, 

Collar, 

Count, 

Coventry, 

Cordeliers, 

Cornwall, 

Crest, 

Croisades, 

Crowland, 

Crypts, 

Cressy, 

Culloden Muir, 

D. 



Page 

121 

122 

ib. 

124 

125 

Si'o 

128 

130 

140 

142 

148 

150 

202 

215 

152 

153 

155 

159 

143 

26 



Danes, 


11 


Dame, , 


20 


Damsel, 


29 


Dearth, 


24 


Denmark, 


41 


Dettingen, 


102 


Dominicans, 


73 


Dorchester, 


86 


Doomsday Book, 


148 


Domestic Structures, 


231 


Dress, 


151 


Druids, 


14 


Duke, 


22 


Dunfermline, 


29 


Dunmow, 


318 


Duelling, 


201 


Durham, 


116 



E. 

Ead, or Ed, 

Ear], . • 

Easter, 

Eastern Nations, 

Eagle, 

Egypt, 

Engineer, 

Ensign, 

England, 

Er, 

Esquire, 

Escuage, 

Eton College, 

Excise, 

Excommunication^ 

Exeter, 

F. 

Fairs, 

Fairford, 

Families, 

Falconry, 

Feudal Tenures, 

Fife, 

Fire Locks, 

Fiowden, 

Fontenoy, 

Forres 

Fotheringay, 

Frosts, 

Framlingham, 

France, 

Franciscans, 

Funerals, 

Furness, 



Gaming, 



Page 

220 

24 
26 
317 
21 
ib. 
77 
78 
34 
79 

3 
S9 
71 

72 

73 

115 



120 
129 
126 
240 
134 
186 
187 
IBS 
189 
190 
280 
110 
266 
267 
269 
ib, 
281 



315 



328 





Page 




Page 


Gavelkind, 


70 


Holywell, 


283 


Gaixles du Corps, 


147 


Housesteads, 


285 


Garter, 


153 


Hops, 


293 


Gardening, 


157 


Horse Associated, 


302 


Gaul, 


206 


Holstein, 


303 


Gentleman, 


164 


Humbledon,'' 


296 


Gibralter, 


166 


Huntingdon, 


298 


Gipsies, 


168 


Huns, (loths, & Vandals 


,299 


Glass, 


218 


Hurst Castle, 


301 


Glastonbury, 


220 


Hurlers, 


304 


Glencoe 


151 






Gothic Architecture, 


127 


I.J. 




Gold and Silver, 


137 






Goths, 


149 


Jacobin e. 


283 


Grampian Hills, 


137 


Janisaries, 


297 


Gravesend, 


140 


Javelin, 


302 


Gretna Green, 


142 


Jersey, 


284 


Gunpowder, 


129 


Jesuits, 
Jews, 


286 
288 


H- 




Inchcolm, 


292 






Interest of Money, . 


29'^ 


Hastings, 


7^ 


Inscriptions, 


300 


Hatfield, ^ . 


90 


Inn- Names, 


303 


Hand- writing. 


103 


Ireland, 


45 


Hair, 


12V 


Iron, 


140 


Halbert, 


J 29 


Islip, 


295 


Hanover, 


138 


Jury, Trial by. 


69 


Hans Towns, 


141 


Justices of Assize, 


^94> 


Hats, 


284 




298 


Hauberk, 


292 




Heidelberg, 


73 


K. 




Herculaneum, 


75 






Heraldry, 


ib. 


Kamschatka, 


306 


Hexham, 


77 


Kern, 


309 


Heaume, 


288 


Kensington, 


312 


History, English, 67, 


321 


Knights of Windsor, . 


82 


Historical Iraits, 10? 
Holt, 


321 


of the Rith 


155 
219 
294 


79 
ih. 


nf St Patrick 


Holy-head, 


the Holy Ghost 


Horses, 


88 


of St. James, 


301 



329 



Knights of Malta, . 


Page 

313 


Manners, 


265 


Knighthood, 


307 


Mackinleth, 


275 






Magdebourg, 


279 


L. 




Magna Charta, 


280 


Lambeth Palace, 
Land Tax, 


306 

308 


Maidstone, 

Marquis, 

Majesty, 


282 
305 
310 


Laurets, 
Launceston, 
Lay Brother, 


298 
308 
310 


Marauding, 
Marlborough, 

Metals, 


312 
313 

124 


Lance, 


31^2 


Merry Andrew, 


306 


Lepaton, 


295 


Methodists, 


307 


Leicester, 


299 


Mill, 


318 


Leek, 


301 


Minstrels, 


308 


Legion, 


302 


Monuments, 


235 


Lights, 


ib. 


Money, 


241 


Liturgy, 


291 


Mortars, 


309 


Linen, 


292 


Monks, 


310 


Lincoln, 


293 


Museum, British, 


251 


Lord Lieutenants, . 


296 


Musket, 


257 


Lotteries, 


54 




Love Tokens, 


61 






Lord, 


283 


N. 




Louvain, 
Lutterworth, 


285 
241 


National Debt 


282 


Ludlow, 

Luxury, 

Lyme, or Lyme Regis, 

Ly, 


287 
64 
S3 

251 


Navigation, 

Needles, 

Nevin, 

Newcastle, 

Newbury 


272 
283 
280 
259 
257 






Newspapers, 


255 


M. 




Nobility, 


263 


Manuscript, 


105 


Normandy, 


265 


Mansions, 


192 






Malplaquet, 


255 


0. 




Maiden, 


261 






Mantle, 


ib. 


Oath, 


264 


Malta, 


ib. 


Okeham, 


254 


Malmsbury, 


263 


Opera, 


257 


Manor, 


ib. 


Orkneys, 


258 



330 





Page 




Page 


Oswestry, 


80 


Regiments, 


191 


Ostler, 


261 


Riding, 


232 


Oxford, 


262 


Royal Marriages, 


49 






Roman Stations, 


84 


P. 




Rochester, 


233 




Rose, under the. 


93 


Painting, 


251 


Roman Roads, 


190 


Palermo, 


264 


Roman Empire, 


239 


Parish, 


257 


Royal Robes, 


316 


Pavesades, 


235 






Pauper, 


258 


S. 




Parliaments, 


221 






Peerage, 


229 


Saint Albans, 


18 


Penal Laws, 


91 


Saint Days, 


87 


Pentateuch, 


317 


Saracens, 


173 


Perth, 


261 


Scavage, 


175 


Picts and Scots, 


98 


Scotland, « 


266 


Picts' Wall, 


101 


Shaftsbury, 


51 


Population of Europe, 


95 


Sherborne, 


57 


Pontefract, 


202 


Shoes, 


187 


Portugal, 


204 


Sheriffs, 


234 


Potatoes, 


207 


Sittenburn, 


186 


Poictiers, 


262 


Snap Dragon, 


189 


Press, 


194 


Soham, 


111 


Preston, 


195 


Sow, . . . 


174 


Prestonpans, 


198 


Sodor, 


190 


Prussia, 


199 


Sports, 


172 


Puritans, 


200 


Stuart Papers, 


53 


Pyramids, 


216 


Starching, 


56 






State of Society, 


175 


Q- 




Stamford, 


191 




Stonehenge, 


274 


Quakers, 


227 


Sugar, 


230 






Sudbury, 


234 


E. 




Switzerland, 


232 


Ramilies, 


229 


T 




Ramsay, 


230 


ji • 




Rental of Lands, 


91 


Tamworth,. 


206 


Reformation, 


113 


Taverns, 


207 





Page 




Page 


Throwing the Stocking 


211 


Wapentake, 


240 


Tilbury, 


214 


Wassail, 


268 


Tokens, 


94 


War, 


199 


Torture, 


215 


Whale, 


214 


Tobacco, 


ib. 


Whitsuntide, 


269 


Totness, 


274 


Wig, 


197 


Tournaments, 


275 


Winchester, 


208 






Worcester, 


195 


U. V. 




Wolves, 


198 


Universities, 


268 






Vines, 


210 


Y. 




W. 




Yeoman, 


198 


Wales, 


270 


Yew, 


201 



THE END. 



Wm. Bayne, Printer, 
James's Court, Edinburgh. 



Errata, 

Page 15. for orands, read brands. 

58. for state, read stat. 

49. for Branmer, read Cranmer. 

60. for waste], read wassail. 

15. for enrolled, read unrolled. 

82. Heniy VIII. read Henry VII. and for Edward VIII. read Henry VIII. 
111. /or country, read county. 
134. /or he, read the. 
147. /or Baage, read Bauge. 
166. for 20i. a year, read 20s. 
212. /or democrate, read democratic. 
255. for Helretic, read Helvetic- 
Waiting Street, read Watling Street. 
241./or ditto read ditto. 

255. for Wadox, read Madox. 



LH6My?9 



